Sonic Redux: Gerald's Story
by SAJ-Man
Summary: I decided to do a prequel to a story that I'll be uploading in the future. Based on the events before Sonic Adventure 2, I wanted to elaborate on the "pre-Shadow" part of the story. There are so many unanswered questions about the Robotnik family before the A.R.K. and Project Shadow before Shadow the Hedgehog. This story will be the answers to those questions. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, thanks for checking this little story of mine out! So before you start reading, there's a couple of little points you should keep in mind:**

 **1\. In this slight AU universe, Mobius and Earth are 2 vastly different planets. Part 1 is exclusively on Earth with the humans and real life animals. Mobius is coming soon, but they're all Mobians i.e. Sonic-looking anthropomorphic animals.**

 **2\. GUN is going to be Mobius' government force, complete with Mobian soldiers and operatives. Earth's government is well, OUR government; CIA, FBI, KGB, etc.**

 **3\. The ARK isn't made to study Earth stuff, Mobius is the focus of the ARK research. We'll get to that soon, don't worry. ;)**

 **As far as this being a slight AU, literally everything that happens here will line up with the games other than the stuff previously mentioned. I'm super into keeping things believable with the canon of the games and the games only. Sally Acorn and the Freedom Fighters ain't sneaking into this one, folks. I absolutely hate the Archie comics, shipping, and fan characters so don't expect ANY of that to leak in either. This is strictly inside the game universe, just with those slight alterations.**

 **And SEGA owns all original characters, places, and story elements. This story is all me though, so please don't steal or any such thing. Okay I'll shut up now. XD Enjoy eager readers! :D**

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Gerald's Story Part 1

Creative, brilliant, astounding, prodigious; these were the words that every human being on planet Earth used to describe one of their best and brightest. His name was Gerald Robotnik and he was the greatest scientific mind in the history of his world. He was nothing short of incredible when it came to any intellectual endeavors. He was indeed brilliant... and kind as well. He was known to be a pacifist, wanting to cause no harm to anyone or anything. This brilliant man had but one goal: world peace. The noblest desire that a man could have.

Because of this nobility, he was able to easily raise two children with love and kindness. Together with his wife by his side, they were the perfect wholesome family. And soon enough, his children wed two beautiful spouses. Gerald thought that his family would continue to flourish and eventually spread world peace across Earth. He was happy beyond words.

However, all good things must come to an end. Gerald's eldest son soon learned this when he and his wife found out that she was unable to have children. And if she could deliver a child, it would not be without fatal damage afterwards; to her and the potential baby. Devastated, the son decided not to have the child he wanted to have so much. However his wife gently convinced him that they should try anyway, to further the family name.

At the same time, Gerald's wife had gotten ill and abruptly died within 2 weeks of contracting the illness. Gerald was at a loss for words for what seemed like forever when his wife passed away. He felt responsible for her death, he was the smartest man on Earth and he couldn't save his own wife. He couldn't even figure out how to manage her pain inflicted by the terrible disease that took her from him. He would repeat this over and over again in his head, he remained downtrodden and ceased all work. His dear children tried their best to get him out of his depression, but he was too far gone for their words to reach him.

Finally, the eldest son and his wife tried once more to have a child, hoping that the news of new life would bring their father back from the dark. They prayed and waited for months, until... it happened. She was with child.

The eldest son rushed to his father's home and told him the good news. Immediately, Gerald was uplifted. A miracle had happened, the impossible had been achieved, he had no choice but to feel the infectious affects of joy once again. Even though he had lost his wife, he dared not let that hold him back now. He was going to be a grandfather to a precious soul, and his dream of world peace through his family was, once again, being slowly fulfilled.

Thanks to the news of a new member of the family on its way to the world, Gerald had gotten the spark that he hadn't felt since his wife died: the spark of ingenuity. He was back to his old self again, developing new technology and solutions that no one had ever thought of before. Eventually, the government decided that he was far too valuable a "resource" to go "uncultivated". Gerald was visited by a government official, sharply dressed and sharply tongued, who told him that his skills were needed for "the good of the nation". Gerald, however, declined the abrupt summons, as he already knew the government was not to be completely trusted. Angrily, the federal man left his home, claiming that he would be back and Gerald wouldn't be able to say no to his country again. Not without paying dearly for it.

This became the dreaded precursor to a series of unfortunate events that befell the kind Gerald Robotnik. Within a few months, the child was born; a golden haired girl with sapphire eyes. Gerald came to see his granddaughter in the hospital and when he opened the door, she shined like the Sun. He immediately fell head over heels for her. She was always smiling or giggling or trying to talk, and when he asked what they would name her, they told him that her name was the same name Gerald's wife carried: Maria.

Unfortunately, her angelic appearance was simply a mask; after keeping the child in the hospital, which is the normal custom of medical facilities, she was diagnosed with an unknown disease, with terrible symptoms. To make matters worse, the eldest's wife had used up nearly all of her energy in the delivery room; the doctors were afraid she wouldn't make it to the end of the week. All of these facts made the eldest son fall into a deep depression. Of course, with no idea how to treat such a disease, the doctors turned to Gerald, the world's most brilliant man, for an answer. Regrettably, Gerald could not find a cure or bring his daughter-in-law from the brink. Despite his wealth and renown intelligence, he didn't have a solution for his sick granddaughter.

The government, knowing fully of his situation, secretly closed up Gerald's public laboratories and research facilities and unjustly took money from his bank accounts through federal taxes, deceitfully making it seem like he was going bankrupt. Of course, this threw Gerald in a panic, a panic that the government was willing to "innocently" help alleviate. The federal suit came back to Gerald's home and offered him a deal: the government would supply the resources for Gerald if he would create weapons for them to use against other nations. This time, Gerald thought about the offer before sending the man back to the capital. He really did need the money and resources, but he still didn't trust the government, and he was right not to. For being rejected a second time, the wicked government decided to push Gerald into doing what they wanted. And they pushed hard.

Two years after Maria was born, her and her mother's conditions had gotten slightly better. It seemed that the treatments suggested by Gerald were finally working and they were steadily climbing back to one hundred percent. The depressed son was so joyous of the news, he requested taking a drive out of the hospital with his daughter and wife, and after two more weeks of agonizing waiting, the doctors agreed to the trip. His father, however, disapproved; he was much too worried that the celebration was premature and wanted to wait for definite improvement. Highly emotional, the eldest son disobeyed his father and took his wife and daughter out for a drive. He took them to the mall and bought them mountains of clothes and jewelry and all the little things they were deprived of in the hospital's care. For the first time in 2 years, their family felt normal again.

But suddenly, while driving his wife and daughter back to the hospital after their first day out as a family, Gerald's eldest son and daughter-in-law were hit head-on in a car collision. Gerald was at his personal laboratory when he got the call from the hospital. The news hit him like a sack of bricks. Sorrow left him bitterly silent for a few moments, but he suddenly remembered his granddaughter and frantically asked about her condition. The doctor told him that she was perfectly protected by Gerald's own invention: the force field child safety seat. It protected little Maria from all harm. His son and daughter-in-law weren't so lucky.

Before the hospital worker could finish his sentence, Gerald rushed to the hospital, equipment almost bursting from his arms. He couldn't lose someone else, he had to save them. This time he had to save them, no matter what! He was going to save them! He kept chanting to himself over and over again as he flew past the doctors and nurses in the halls.

But his chanting stopped when he opened the door to his son's room and heard the flatline tone. That deafening, haunting sound of finality filled Gerald's ears. He was already too late. His arms lost all their strength and he let his meaningless, life-saving inventions fall to the ground. The doctors and nurses in the room looked back to see where the crash came from and saw Gerald, tears streaming down his face. They attempted to tell him that he already passed when he entered the hospital's threshold and that they themselves were too late to save him, not Gerald. But Gerald couldn't hear them. He had failed again; again a life he held dear had left this world because he was too slow, too weak to save them. He dropped to his knees and dropped his face in his hands while the tears poured out shamelessly.

With the assistance of the kind nurses, Gerald walked out of the hospital room and sat down on one of the benches scattered across the medical facility. There, he was about to spew out more tears of anguish, when suddenly, he felt something. Something soft and warm. A small hand placed itself on his knee. He followed the trail of the hand to the arm, arm to neck, neck to face. It was his granddaughter Maria. She was smiling at him, she was actually smiling at a time like this. Gerald froze, he couldn't make sense of it. Surely even a two year old would be able to grasp that her parents were hurt and weren't going to see her again. Maria interrupted his thoughts when she slowly climbed into his lap and gently put her arms around his neck in a tender embrace.

"It's okay, Grandfather. Mommy and Daddy had to go, but I'm still here. Don't be sad, ok?" she said in a beautifully sweet voice. Gerald's heart stopped in shock. How in the world was she able to push her feelings aside for him? She was only two, there's no way a normal two year old would say these things. Gerald shed more tears, but this time out of happiness. He held his beloved granddaughter and promised not to be sad anymore. Maria giggled happily and jumped down from his lap and sat next to him, her tiny legs swinging back and forth slowly. Gerald looked down at her and thought how amazing this child was. He needed to save her, just as she saved him from falling again.

As Gerald and Maria exited the hospital, the federal suit waited for them at his car. Fearing the worst, Gerald scooped Maria behind his legs and demanded to know what he was doing there. With a voice that sounded like it was caressed in bourbon and cigarettes, he answered.

"I was going to pay my condolences, Professor. It's a shame, you having to bury your son and all. I was just going to make sure you were doing okay."

"... How did you know he died? I was the only one in the room and you never entered the hospital. If you did, you would have a visitor's pass on your suit jacket." Gerald deduced correctly. The government suit grinned devilishly.

"Man, you are smart. You got me, I never went in and heard, but I'm pretty good at figuring stuff out" he said, just a little under cryptic. Maria's grip on Gerald's pants got tighter as she peaked across his legs to see who he was talking to. The government man looked down and saw her.

"This is their child, right? The miracle baby? Thank goodness she's okay. I don't think you would have survived the loss of this adorable little thing" he said while inching closer to Gerald.

"Did... you have anything to do with this? Did the government order the death of my son just because I refuse to help them?!" Gerald asked angrily. The federal suit smirked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he said ominously as he turned around. Gerald instantly got angry and tightened his fists. Maria whined in fear of the evil man and unintentionally caught his attention again.

"You know, she is just too cute" he said as he walked closer to Gerald. He squatted down to Maria's height and smiled.

"I could just pinch her little. HEAD. OFF." the dark hearted man threatened through his teeth. Maria's grip on Gerald's pants leg got tighter and she could hardly keep from screaming. The federal suit smirked wickedly, turned around, and walked away from them.

"I suggest you take our offer this time, Professor. What else have you got to lose?" he said darkly as he disappeared from their vision. Gerald looked down at Maria, she was still trembling from fear. He took her into the car, after fully examining it for any "changes", and drove her home. After tucking her in for the night, he called the number the federal suit had given him and agreed to work for the government...


	2. Chapter 2

Over the course of a few months, Gerald was forced to build an array of dangerous weapons for the government. It grieved him to create technology to hurt others, but he had no choice. The government had all the money and facilities, without them, he wouldn't be able to further his research of Maria's rare disease, which he had given the name Neuro-Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, or NIDS for short. The disease attacked her nervous system, literally exploding some of her nerves, while simultaneously weakening her immune system to the point that contact with normal air would make her faint in under five minutes. Needless to say, a dual fatal disease of this magnitude was impossible to cure. For, how could one perform two completely different operations on one body at the same time? Maybe if she were older and stronger, this could perhaps be a possibility, but she was only two years old and very fragile. Gerald had met his greatest challenge in his granddaughter.

Maria, herself, had it much worse. It had only been a few months and already she was starting to forget her parents' faces. She didn't know that her memories were at risk, another side effect of her disease, and that it wasn't her fault at all. But the good natured girl thought herself cruel and heartless; how could she forget her parents only after a couple of months of them leaving? In her mind, there was only one possibility: she didn't love them enough when they were alive, so she was forgetting them because she didn't cherish them enough. She couldn't have been more wrong, but she never told anyone her feelings so no one could put her mind at ease. These feelings, added to the intense pain that shot through her body every time her disease would randomly decide to attack her body, was impossible for any adult to handle, much less a two year old girl. But, handle it, she did; no one knew her feelings about herself because she hid them well with a glowing smile. She only showed pain when she physically felt it.

Despite all of her opposition, she strived to be a normal child. She would often ask Gerald if she could attend school, instead of having him as her homeschool instructor; he declined. Maria would ask to play outside with their neighbors' children; he declined. She would ask if Gerald could invite his friends over the house; he declined. Gerald would shield Maria from every attempt to have contact with other people. Due to the unknown elements of her disease, he didn't want anyone else to be infected given the possibility that she could have been contagious. Even Gerald would keep his skin covered and wore a filtered gas mask. But through months of persistent asking, Gerald finally agreed to take her to the local park. Maria squealed with glee and ran to get her little shoes on, for the first time since her parents' funeral. They walked, hand in hand, to the park that sat a few small blocks away.

When they arrived, Maria joyfully ran through the wood chip filled land to the ladder leading up the slide. She climbed up the steps, excitement enveloping her, and hopped on the top of the slide. She held her breath as she shuffled her body forward and pushed herself over the edge in a cheerful scream as her small body seemed to rocket down and slowly slope straight across, until Maria's feet landed back on the wood chips that littered the ground.

After relishing in the feeling of sliding on an actual slide for the first time, Maria noticed another child and his mother. Excited to meet another kid, and her age no doubt, Maria ran up to him as he jumped off the small, crayon-colored, spring-supported horses.

"He- hello! My name is Ma-" before she could finish an introduction, Maria touched the dark haired boy's arm unwillingly, as he unconsciously stretched his arms. Immediately, he felt a sharp pain rise from the point of contact to his shoulder up to the front of his brain. He screamed in agony while viciously swiping his hand away from Maria's grasp, causing Maria to scream and back away in horror. The boy's screams came to a quick end as the pain was too intense for his toddler body to handle and he fell unconscious. The boy's screams of pain alerted his mother and Gerald, activating their parental defense instincts to grab their child and examine them swiftly. The mother reached the unconscious boy and tried waking him from his abrupt slumber, but all her attempts had failed, leaving her with the simple option of taking out her frustrations on Maria.

"What did you do?! He's unconscious! What are you?! You freak! You killed my baby! You monster! Keep away from us!" she screamed angrily. Maria was at a loss for words, things had escalated way too quickly for her to process. But she knew one thing: she was the reason an innocent child was hurt and his mother was traumatized. She couldn't hold in her guilt and sorrow anymore, the tears creeped out of her eyes. Gerald finally reached her and scooped her up in his arms. He tried to calm the woman down and offer his assistance, but the woman wasn't attempting to hear anything from him. She ran from them, clutching the unconscious child in her arms. Gerald carried the flabbergasted Maria back home, tears streaming down her face as she slowly processed what she had just experienced.

After hours of consoling his tearful granddaughter and convincing her to go to sleep with a lullaby, Gerald was called by the government. They heard of the incident with the boy and gave him the details that he did not have at the time. The boy went into a coma, his brain shut down due to the speed and intensity of the pain he received by Maria's passing of the NIDS virus. Thankfully, he was alive, for if she had held onto him for longer than ten seconds, the boy would have contracted too many NIDS infected germs and died instantaneously. Not allowing Gerald to explain the situation or attempt to help the boy, the government gave him his next task: space exploration.

Recently, the government's astrologers had noticed a planet a couple of billion kilometers away from Earth, with extremely high levels of energy. The government ordered Gerald to figure out a way to use the energy on their true purpose for seeking his help in the first place: the secret to immortality. They believed the answer rested on the cleaner, bigger planet. Gerald agreed, but he had one condition, he had to bring Maria with him, giving them the legitimate excuse that her disease was highly contagious to young children and taking her off world would ensure that no other child would be in danger of catching the disease. The government agreed and Gerald started the plans to create a space colony that he, Maria, and an elite staff of scientists could live for an extended period of time. He named the space colony, A.R.K., for he swore to himself that lives would be saved, not taken, by the research on the colony.

After 2 years of building and developing, Gerald, his elite group of scientists, and millions of government workers had finally finished his Space Colony A.R.K. The lift off of the A.R.K. was broadcasted around the world, everyone knew about what was happening. Or what the government lied and said what was happening. They kept the truth from the citizens to keep complete control of the operation. But little did they know, sending Gerald a world away from them was their biggest mistake imaginable. Now that he was out of their grasp, he finally had time to focus on his little girl's condition with no more distractions. This time, he was going to save her.

After a 3 month long trip through space, they were finally in orbit of the high energy planet. Immediately, Gerald began working on a cure for NIDS. And after two years, Gerald finally found something to at least stabilize Maria's condition. Fearing that the government would get suspicious just in case he didn't have some weapon to show them, he started development on something that, in essence, was still for Maria but could satisfy the government at the same time. He began work on an ambitious project. So ambitious that after presenting it to his colleagues, they thought it unreachable. Thus, they jokingly dubbed the endeavor, Project: Shadow. The goal of this project... creating the ultimate, immortal life form...


	3. Chapter 3

Gerald's first attempt at making an immortal life form involved reptiles. He theorized that the natural regenerative abilities of reptiles, mixed with the ultimately higher levels of energy of the planet, would be a perfect start to explore the secrets of immortality. So obviously, this meant they needed lots of samples of the mysterious energy that the planet produced. And that meant an inevitable exploration to the big, blue planet. Of course news around the A.R.K. of an actual excavation on an alien planet with the purpose of finding a new type of energy traveled fast. And sure enough, 6 year old Maria caught wind of it.

She was ecstatic, having lost memories of Earth due to the NIDS in her body, Maria wanted to have the experiences of being outside of the A.R.K. After spending two years on the A.R.K., it was all she knew; the metallic walls and high tech doors was her home. So she wanted, more than anything, to visit the only planet within reach. But she could never forget her upbringing, she had to ask her grandfather if she could accompany him and hope he said yes.

Unfortunately, Gerald remembered well just how contagious Maria was and forbid her from going anywhere outside of the A.R.K. If a simple touch could knock someone into a coma on Earth, just how terrible would the effects be on an alien planet? Maria could very well destroy all life on the innocent planet by sneezing. Obviously, Gerald couldn't allow that.

Maria understood his reasons for not allowing her to go with him, but it didn't make the decision anymore acceptable for her. Nevertheless, Gerald and his team flew to the planet in the A.R.K.'s escape pods. They had studied the planet already and knew the perfect place to land so that natives wouldn't see them. After all, they were the alien invaders to the innocent creatures that inhabited the planet.

As soon as their flying pods got close enough to the planet's surface, they couldn't believe their eyes. It looked almost exactly like Earth. Yes, the planet itself was much bigger, almost 7 times as big in fact, and yes their was virtually no pollution, but it was like they were back home. It was astonishing for Gerald and his team to be somewhere so familiar yet completely foreign at the same time.

Nevertheless, they proceeded on their excavation for gathering information and samples of the foreign energy. They landed in a jungle terrain, hoping that no one would find them as they searched for their energy samples. They treaded through the hot jungle for what seemed like days; everything looking almost exactly the same as everything else helped with the illusion that they had been there for days. But finally, their blistered feet and aching backs paid off. They managed to make it to the edge of the jungle, which was easily marked by the beginning of an ocean.

It was a little peculiar to Gerald, how the ocean just abruptly started where the jungle ended. Almost as if the rest of the jungle somehow split off from the mainland and went somewhere else.

"That can't be. There's no sign of any large mass ever removing from this land and drifting somewhere else. Otherwise, where would it have gone? Up in the air?" Gerald thought to himself. The bald man digressed and turned his attention to strange rock formations further down on the coast of the jungle.

The scientists gave it one look and knew that the stones were much more than what they appeared to be. Inscribed on the stones were pictures, hieroglyphics of some sort, telling a story. And judging from the readings the team received on their energy readers, the story had something to do with the energy that brought them there. Immediately, the team took pictures of the hieroglyphic ruins and set a course for the A.R.K.

After months of studying everything in the ancient manuscripts recorded on the stone walls, Gerald was able to understand the gist of the story they told. Long ago, an ancient civilization that was very in tune with gems, magical gems called Chaos Emeralds, that were seemingly endless in power, used them to rule over their land. There were 7 of them and though they were ultimately used for good, they could easily be used for mass destruction. There was one more jewel, the Master Emerald, a much larger and more mysterious jewel that seemed to be the controller of the other gems of unspecified power. According to the information, one gem would be more than enough to work with.

So, search team after search team was deployed to the planet's surface, hoping that someone would end up finding one. Even with everyone armed with energy readers, it took almost 4 months to find one of the glowing gems. But finally, they acquired one of the gems of ancient legend. The team of scientists could literally feel the warmth of the mysterious energy that radiated from the jewel when they picked it up. It was almost like a miniature sun; energy poured from it like a waterfall, infinitely flowing out. Needless to say, the entire excavation team rocketed back to the ARK as fast as they could and ecstatically ran to Gerald. He was equally ecstatic about finding the glowing green gem. Finally, they could begin to make some real progress for Project Shadow. For Maria.

Over the course of a week, a few things became apparent about the great jewel of legend: it was dangerously unstable, incompatible with every electronic device from the light bulb up, and it sure as heck wouldn't be easy to work with on living tissue. But Gerald and the A.R.K. scientists did not give up and their reward for their persistence led to a very unique alternative route. The emerald was, of course, nearly impossible to control with electronics, let alone flesh and blood. This was because of the constant energy flow coming out of it. However, once that energy had radiated away from its source, it was very easily controlled. Thus, the brilliant professor developed a way to take the excess energy and contain it in a clear containment tube. The energy, when left alone for a few moments, crystallized inexplicably and became a small shard of its origin. Granted, its power compared to the infinite power of the gem it came from was no where close to being the same amount, but this new crystallized form of the energy was compatible with machinery and was easily controlled thanks to the capsules they were contained in.

These crystallized energy shards, Chaos Drives as the scientist decided to dub them, were immediately tested on their robots and machines all with overwhelmingly positive results. The team was finally ready to begin on the live testing of the Chaos Drives. They had already captured every different species of reptile on Earth before launching into space and as many species as there was, they brought them all to the lab. Everyone of the reptiles were forcibly bonded to a Chaos Drive and monitored for the span of a few weeks. What happened next was not to be expected.

Each and everyone of the test subjects had died. Either by spontaneous combustion, complete organ failure, or vomiting out every ounce of blood in their bodies. It was quite a graphic turn for the project. They had all but given up hope, until one observer claimed his reptile was still alive. They all rushed to see the one exception of this tragic event and there it was; the Lacerta vivipara; better known as, the common lizard, though clearly larger than it was originally. The team rushed it to the Central Dome and thoroughly tested it to see if it was truly going to survive.

Unfortunately the tests they'd done showed that the lizard had been weakened internally and couldn't sustain its own life. The entire A.R.K. scrambled to find parts to make it a life support system and thanks to their quick thinking and quick building, the lizard was safe from danger. After all the anxiety, the A.R.K. welcomed its next scientific breakthrough, a lizard biologically bonded with Chaos Drives and potentially able to consciously utilize the Chaos Energy within itself. Its codename became Biolizard: The Sole-Surviving Prototype of the Ultimate Lifeform.

Biolizard was, to say the least, nothing short of incredible. Not only did it show all the desired traits of the A.R.K. researchers, including regeneration, restoration, and self-reproduction, but it also had another unintended trait. Biolizard had an unexpected and exponentially fast growth rate as a side effect to the Chaos Drives influence on its biology. It grew to 2.7m and weighed 350 kg after just a couple of days of its biology bonding with the Chaos Drive. This worried the scientist, but ultimately, the Biolizard put those worries to rest after displaying a sort of control of the Chaos Energy in its body.

As astounding as it was, the Biolizard had one flaw that became apparent after just a few weeks: its mind was much too feral and primitive to continue research on it. It was violent to the researchers, almost lethally so due to its size. It began using its control over the Chaos Energy as a defense mechanism. And it was always on defense. Gerald had hoped that another dose of the Chaos Drives would help its mind gain some sort of intelligence, but he had no such luck.

Immediately after the unstable Biolizard had another helping of Chaos Drive bio-graphing, it reacted in the most horrific way. It violently attacked the scientists that observed it, blowing them and dozens of delicate machinery away with its controlled Chaos Energy. It roared louder than a foghorn when it fully grasped its new power. The Biolizard decided to show another trait to its masters; it was now a carnivore. A carnivore surrounded by helpless, meaty prey.

Most of the scientist in the laboratory that were inspecting the Biolizard, were already dead so it lapped their corpses up first. The injured, but not dead, watched in horror as their colleagues, their friends, were grabbed by the monster's snake of a tongue and swallowed whole. It didn't take the monster long to eat them, which was unfortunate for the injured that were struggling to crawl away. It didn't care about their struggle, it was hungry and they were food. Food that had been poking and prodding and attaching things to it. As it was previously discovered, the beast's mind was too feral for logical thought, but if it were, the Biolizard would believe it was just for devouring its tormentors. And so it continued, smashing the injured with its tail and slurping their remains up.

Gerald, being the immensely intelligent man that he was, remembered the weakness of the cold-blooded behemoth; like all reptiles, it was sensitive to temperature and humidity changes. All the other scientist decided it was every man for himself at this point and there was a mad dash for the exit. But Gerald stood in the midst, he knew what he had to do.

Gerald bravely ran through the Central Dome, dodging the panicked stampede and the Chaos Energy blasts the terrible creature summoned to literally disintegrate him. God was on his side that day, for he surely would have been killed had it not been for the Biolizard's inability to shoot its blasts faster. He pumped his legs, harder than ever before, sweat pouring behind him as the wind rushing past brushed his brow.

He had to reach it, he couldn't give up, he couldn't run away. He wouldn't let death win, not again. He pushed himself, for his fallen comrades, for the entire Space Colony A.R.K. For his blessed Maria. He pushed, side stepping the lethal magenta blasts. Only the irradiated heat touched him, but no pain caught him. Finally, he was there, the old man reached for the digital thermostat, practically slammed into the wall when he did.

As soon as his fingers touched the small screen, he threw the room into a cool 40º prison. The Biolizard turned to him, preparing a blast, one much stronger than the others. It would surely kill Gerald. And what's worse, he had used up all of his energy getting to the thermostat. There was no way he could move out of the way of this one, he was getting old after all.

"I'm so sorry Maria... I tried, love... I really did..." he panted out after slumping to the ground, his back against the wall. He looked up at the charging Biolizard, the growing light of the blast coloring everything magenta.

"Well?! Finish it already, you abomination!" Gerald spat out bravely. But just then... the ventilation system hummed, loud enough to be heard behind the charging sound. Gerald looked up and saw the air conditioning fans were spinning, faster than lighting. The Biolizard immediately stopped charging, its strength leaving it as its scales began to freeze over. It passed out, falling to the floor like a chopped down oak. With its assault on the A.R.K. scientists halted, Gerald sighed in relief. "I am getting too old for this kind of preposterous ridiculousness"

Without hesitation, everyone prepared cryogenic containment units equal to the Biolizard's size and imprisoned the large, disappointing monster in suspended animation. It was shortly deemed a failure after the victims of the Biolizard had their injuries treated and the many casualties were mourned. And once again, the Project Shadow team were trudging back to the drawing board...


	4. Chapter 4

In light of the Biolizard incident, Gerald and his colleagues searched for why their promising prototype crashed and burned so prematurely. After hours of theorizing and debates among themselves, the A.R.K. researchers realized one crucial detail: the Biolizard was an Earth lizard, the Chaos Drives were made from the Chaos Emeralds of this new planet. The differences between the alien energy and the normal lizard could have resulted in unforeseen errors in the experiment. No one could prove it, but it seemed to be the only plausible explanation. Thus, the conclusion of the discussion was that the new plan would be derived entirely on the objects of the new planet, not Earth.

Gerald went back to the photos of the stone slabs with hieroglyphs to find something he could use to keep this operation going. Hours went by before something caught his eye; A picture of a blue monstrous looking thing being bowed to by little things. The primitive illustration seemed to show that the blue monster was made of water and judging by the way the other figures bowed to it, it must have been their god. The only words that he could decipher that matched with the picture were, "Chaos, God of... Guardian... Chaos Emeralds and... Chaos, God of... Worship or..." Despite the ambiguity of the text, Gerald decided that the Guardian of the Chaos Emeralds should have no problem containing and controlling Chaos Energy, unlike the Biolizard. This specimen should have no negative side effects if its based on the god and guardian of the Chaos Emeralds.

Right after presenting the idea to his comrades, they agreed to start on it immediately. After months of successes and failures alike, the A.R.K. scientist finished another prototype, the Artificial Chaos. After testing them, they realized they had hit a dead end. Even though the Artificial Chaos had all the desired traits, with no side effects, they still couldn't call this a "success" in the immortality and curing Maria aspect. The Artificial Chaos was just that, artificial, not really alive. So of course they were immortal, they weren't really alive. They were made up of a robotic core and trillions of nanobots that made up their liquid bodies; they weren't even close to what they were originally going for.

Gerald flung papers across the room in irritation. How could he have wasted all of that time on something that was never going to work from the start? He felt so stupid. His fellow scientists tried to console him, reminded him that the Artificial Chaos were incredibly impressive despite not being able to help Maria and they could be a lot more helpful for further research on the planet. But he wasn't willing to listen to them. He stormed out of the lab and walked down the long metal hallways that constructed the A.R.K.

Silently, he walked forward, trying to get as much distance away from his failures as possible. Why was nothing working? This planet's rich energy showed so much promise. He was sure he would only be on this giant metal ball for 2, 3 years at the most. He thought it would be just a little easier than it was. Why... why couldn't he save his wonderful little girl? The depressed old man continued to question himself as one foot monotonously shuffled in front of the other. For a time that felt like forever, he just dragged himself across the massive space colony, not even waving when other staff members greeted him. To be honest, he couldn't even see them, he was too busy looking inside himself, trying to find an answer for all the hard questions he continued to pester himself with.

"GRANDFATHER!" the sudden joyful voice burst through his shroud of self-loathing and forced him to see who was in front of him. It was her, his sweet little princess, running to him at full speed. Before he could blink, Maria had launched herself face first into Gerald's chest like a runaway train.

"OOOMFF!" he grunted on impact and came towering down, his back now on the cold metal floor. Maria laughed and held his torso in her smaller arms. Gerald half-wanted to scold her for nearly giving him a heart attack and a concussion in the same second, but he just couldn't.

"Hello sweetheart" Gerald managed to squeeze out of constricted lungs. Maria lifted her face up to look directly at his face. She beamed her beautiful smile at her beloved Grandfather.

"What are you doing out here? I usually have to come see you in the lab. Did you make something wonderful?" she asked him sweetly. Gerald sat up as she uncoiled her arms from his ribcage.

"Well my dear, I don't really think so, no" he said with an uneasy smile.

"That was a trick question!" Maria giggled loudly.

"Eh?" Gerald confusedly grunted. "How does she even know what that means?" he thought. Immediately, he remembered the time she was 4 years old, drawing something with crayons and he asked her was she making something beautiful. Before she could answer Gerald picked her up and told her it was a trick question, everything she drew was beautiful. And since then, whenever he caught her drawing he would ask her his trick question.

"Everything you make is wonderful!" she exclaimed happily. Without him knowing it, Gerald grinned at Maria. Like he wasn't even in control of his emotions, Maria was making him happy. Without even trying, she cleared up his cloudy skies instantaneously. She sat up and remained in his lap, her white dress covering her thighs and his alike.

"Grandfather, is everything alright? You looked kind of sad when you came this way." she asked, concern written on her face. Gerald rubbed the back of his head and exhaled loudly.

"Well, things are getting a little difficult in the lab. The experiments aren't exactly going as well as I had hoped they would" he said a little miserably.

"Well... what did you want them to do?" Maria asked, her shoulders shrugging.

"I wanted them to... well... cure you, Maria. And they... they can't" Gerald struggled to say. Maria blinked in slight surprise, but gathered her composure.

"Ah well, that's okay, Grandfather" she said with a smile. Gerald gaped in surprise.

"How is it okay, Maria?! I failed you! I keep failing you! I'm supposed to be the smartest man on Earth, but when it comes to protecting the people I care about most, I always fall short, I-" Gerald stopped himself. He had unintentionally raised his voice at the sweet girl. Maria's eyebrows were curled in confusion.

"But, you haven't failed. I'm still alive because of the treatments you give me everyday. I was already supposed to be dead a long time ago" Maria said solemnly. Gerald immediately clammed up at her surprising statement.

"Maria... who told you that?" Gerald finally asked sadly. She was never supposed to know that. How could anyone tell a child they should have been dead earlier in their already short life? Maria stayed silent for a moment, almost regretting telling her grandfather that she knew something she was never meant to.

"... I... I overheard... a couple of the nurses... when they were talking... I know you didn't want me to find out..." she admitted slightly begrudgingly. Gerald gently grabbed her shoulders and leveled his eyes with her's.

"Tell me who they are and I'll make sure they never-" Maria quickly interrupted his hasty words.

"No, that's not necessary, Grandfather. They weren't being mean about it or anything. And it's okay. I know you'll figure something out. You just need some time, that's all" she grabbed his hands on her shoulders. Gerald looked her in the eyes, her crystal blue eyes, full of confidence and faith. She believed in him. After all his failures, her faith in him hadn't wavered. Not even a little. He sat there staring in her sapphire eyes for a couple seconds and finally snapped out of his stupor.

"What am I doing? Maria hasn't given up, so neither can I. I will figure this out... For her..." he thought to himself as he stood up and Maria shuffled to her feet after him.

"Sweetie, as always, you're right. I won't give up, I'll keep working" he smiled. Maria breathed a breath of relief. Finally, he was smiling for real again. Gerald's hand patted her head lovingly, and he continued to walk forward, with Maria in tow.

"You still haven't told me what it is you've made Grandfather" she reminded him as she gently grasped his hand.

"I suppose I haven't. Well, it's quite a fascinating invention. We based it off the mural on the ancient hieroglyph stone's depiction of this planet's water-like god being" he explained.

"Wow! You made a water god?" she asked, amazed at such a feat.

"Ha ha, well, robotic copies of it anyway. They can freely control the Chaos Energy from the Chaos Drives and since they're made of trillions of nanobots, they can take any shape we tell them to"

"And since they're made of water, they can breathe underwater, right?" Maria asked enthusiastically. Gerald paused for a moment in thought.

"They don't really breathe seeing as they have no respiratory system or any such thing. And they're actually made of a hydrogenated poly-chlorofluorocarbon that is-" Gerald stopped himself when he saw that Maria's face had gone blank from his complicated explanation.

"They're made of water and can breathe underwater, yes" Gerald comically simplified.

"So you can send them to find sunken treasure!" Maria exclaimed happily. Gerald turned his head at her statement.

Looking at her intently, he asked, "What did you say?"

"You know, treasures at the bottom of the sea! There's always some in my deep sea books!" Maria explained happily. "Maybe they can find some really cool stuff on the ocean floor. Like pirate gold! Or jewels and precious gems!"

Gerald froze on the spot. He had been so blind. How could he have overlooked that?

"... That's it. Maria, THAT'S IT!" he shouted. He picked the golden haired girl up and twirled her around. They both laughed loudly, attracting some of the A.R.K. staff's attention.

"I know what we can do now! It's a long shot, but we might be able to find something new! Something that can get this project moving forward again!" he exclaimed putting her on her feet again.

"Thank you, honey!" he said before he kissed her forehead lovingly. She giggled, still kind of dizzy from the twirling. Gerald immediately walked her to her room and ran back to the laboratory. He commanded everyone to get ready to take the Artificial Chaos to the jungle and prepare them for a deep sea excavation. Gerald was always bothered by the way the ocean suddenly approached the jungle area. There was no beach, no sign of natural separation, which led him to believe that something happened, something unbelievable happened, to the rest of the continent the jungle was on. Meaning something of value, anything of value, could be in the water surrounding the jungle...


	5. Chapter 5

The scientists sent the Artificial Chaos to the planet and into the ocean. Due to the Artificial Chaos being mainly robotic, it was easy enough to set up a video link to the A.R.K.'s computers from their optic cameras. Each scientist had control of one Artificial Chaos and with microphones, they could directly command their Artificial Chaos to do what they want. It was like playing a video game, which the hard working researchers appreciated. They were working around the clock, they needed a break like this to keep them sane.

After just a week, the Artificial Chaos had discovered a variety of intriguing relics: pieces of stone slabs with more hieroglyphics, a couple of alien skeletons, even some treasure chests, much to Maria's delight. But the most interesting of the discoveries was a strange puppet-like thing. When the Artificial Chaos returned to the A.R.K., Gerald claimed it as his private research project while the other scientist claimed all the other ancient objects to study. Maria also claimed her treasure chests, filled with jewels, gold, and pearls, which kept her entertained for a long time.

Gerald went to his private lab and began to carefully examine the orange and flesh colored puppet. Upon closer examining, the professor deduced that it was much more than a puppet. It was a robot. An ancient robot.

"A paradox in itself..." Gerald thought. It was about the size of a 7 year old child, it had intricate circuitry that Gerald dare not try to disturb. He didn't know what could happen if he did. Right then, he was only concerned with looking at it and ruling out what it wasn't. It had light blue optic units, no speakers as far as he could see, light orange sound detectors on the side of its flesh colored head. It had a orange sort of "fin" on the front of its head with a strange capsule-like thing on it fin. The robot had dark brown mechanical hands, arms with orange gauntlets, a flesh colored hip mechanism which connected to dark brown legs with flesh colored knee high, boot-like shins and feet.

The robot was nothing short of impressive. It looked like it had come from the future, but it was found among ancient relics. Gerald had no real idea what it could do, thus the possibilities for the robot were endless. To put his imagination at ease, Gerald decided to activate the ancient robot. He found, much to his amazement, a USB port in its head and connected the ancient android to his computer. Unfortunately, nothing came up on the screen. Gerald hooked car jumper cables to the android and connected it to the lights in his lab and tried to jump start it. That didn't work either, it only got him electrocuted and his mustache singed.

Finally, he decided to shove a Chaos Drive at it and see if that would make it turn on. The android immediately started to move; its "eyes" lighting up. Gerald exclaimed in joy and ran to catalog his findings. When the Chaos Drive was far enough away, the ancient robot returned to sleep mode. Gerald finished a sentence or two and ran out to his colleagues, frantically asking for the new hieroglyphics. They quickly presented all the stone tablets to him and he took them to his lab, his fellow scientists following him. He got them up to speed quickly and asked them what they've deciphered.

It took only an hour for them to realize the stone tablets were about the robot in front of them. Granted, they didn't completely translate the hieroglyphs, but there were some obvious signs that the information was about the mechanical wonder. The word "metal" and "mecha" were enough to narrow it down.

Gerald helped the scientists decipher another chunk of the stone tablets and the words that seemed to be written were slightly haunting. What they could make out of it so far were the words: "destruction of our civilization... ultimate weapon... God of Wrath... falls from the heavens... all that exists... to ruin..."

Not letting superstition stand in their way of a real breakthrough, the scientific scholars begrudgingly continued to test and decipher the text over the course of a week. During this time, the researchers decided to give the robot a single Chaos Drive. With that alone, the robot was functioning enough to stay online consistently, move itself where it chose to go, it even reacted when someone spoke to it. But the most astounding thing the flesh colored robot did was mimic the actions of the people around it. In no time at all, it was writing, typing on imaginary keys, it even paced exactly like Gerald did when he was deep in thought. The ancient android amazed all of the scientists further and further each day.

After finally deciding to take another look "inside" the robot, Gerald gave an unplugged keyboard to it (to keep it occupied and sitting still) and plugged into its USB port, connecting it to one of the A.R.K.'s most powerful computers. As soon as he plugged into the robot's head, reams and reams of data scrolled down the big screen. The scientists's eyes could barely keep up with the rushing data. They could make out a few things; spears, arrows, a club, an axe, a red... thing, a... fist, maybe? And were those... guns? The flow of data was getting faster, it was getting harder to lock onto something long enough to tell what it was. The researchers were gaping at the screen in silence, not one of them was able to process what was happening.

Suddenly, the information disappeared and the screen went black. Smoke erupted from the back of the super computer and sparks flew out of the USB cord that connected it to the still-typing, apparently-oblivious, robot. For a long time, the researchers could do nothing but stare with their mouths wide open. Their most advanced piece of equipment was bested by a water logged, monkey-see-monkey-do, robot from thousands of years ago. What could any of them even say to that?

Eventually, Gerald broke the silence, "It appears that all the data was about ancient weaponry and fighting skills. Did anyone catch anything other than weapons and fighting?" They all closed their mouths and shook their heads.

"Hmm... very curious..." Gerald said to himself and began pacing. The robot looked up from its keyboard and took the professor's movement as a cue. Within a second, it dropped the keyboard on the ground, ran over to Gerald in mid stride, and perfectly mirrored his posture and steps. It was enough to send the group of researchers into a laughing fit. They thought, for a split second, that the robot was dangerous, but looking at it while it mimicked the professor, they felt ridiculous for thinking such a thing.

But Gerald knew better. Nothing, absolutely nothing, with that much knowledge of violence and weapons would be harmless. There was no way this thing could be safe for people to be around. He had to know how to keep it from utilizing the knowledge sleeping within it. He commanded the cackling co-workers to continue translating the stone tablets and they all stopped and immediately complied.

Within a matter of days, they had deciphered the stone tablets. Eager for some good news, Gerald read the translation:

"Used for war, it could mean the end of both of our civilizations. The unstable Gizoid, the ultimate weapon.

If it learns all it can, it will be the God of Wrath to the world. When the figure falls from the heavens, and the Stone of the Gods is joined, all that exists will become one again. Either under our rule or in flaming ruin.

As long as the Gizoid has a Link with us, it will stay loyal. But if it learns all it can, the God of Wrath it will be. Nothing will be left, but flaming ruin.

The unstable Gizoid, the ultimate weapon..."

Gerald could no longer ignore his suspicions, he had felt it for a long time, but now he was sure. He stood up, terror etched on his face.

"My God... It... killed them..." he whispered so weakly, they could hardly hear...


	6. Chapter 6

"... The entire civilization... it wiped them all out... My God... It's the reason... why the jungle and the ocean meet together... Their entire land... the actual... physical ground they lived on... it reduced it to nothing..." he breathed out, crying from sheer shock. The scholars's eyes widened and they all backed away from Gerald in terror. Gerald looked at them, still too shocked and scared to follow suit.

"... Li... nk... Lin... k..." a static voice spoke loudly compared to Gerald's frightened whispering. The old man turned around, only to see the robot in question, standing right behind him. His heart stopped.

"LiNk.. Li... nk..." it spoke again, a little clearer this time. Gerald couldn't breathe, he was sure he was going to die. But he just had to know.

"... link? Li- like... to contr- comman- be loyal to m- me?" he asked, positive those would be his last words. But strangely, the robot showed mercy.

"Show... power... OR I sh... all... ob...ey... Sha... ll conqu... r a... ll" it tried to say. Gerald took a Chaos Drive from his desk and shakily handed it to the terrifying robot. It swiftly grabbed the container and broke it open, spraying glass everywhere for a minute, before holding it close to its chest plate and seemingly absorbed the crystalized Chaos Energy with no filter. Gerald was still terrified, but he had to admit that was incredible.

"Show me your true... strength, and I shall... obey. I am all... things, and all sha... shall belong to me" the robot spoke clearer now. Gerald and the other scientist stared at it, thinking it would say something else... but it just waited for something to happen, the same as they did. Finally, Gerald mustered up enough courage to speak a clear sentence.

"Gizoid, prepare to see my true strength. Stay right here and I'll show you" he said as calmly as possible. The Gizoid stared for a moment, but nodded in understanding and sat on the floor, crossed its legs, and waited patiently. Amazed, the scientists continued to stare at it, while Gerald walked out of the lab. Once he shut the door, he ran at top speed to his living quarters, where he kept some very special hardware. He ran as quickly as possible to the bed and jumped on the mattress. As he rose in the air, he placed his palm on the wall the head of his bed rested on. After he started his descent, an electronic beeping sounded off and a secret compartment opened on the wall. The pudgy old man bounce back up, grabbed a big case that was hidden in the wall, and closed the secret compartment. Gerald jumped off the bed, ran down the metal hallways and within minutes was opening the door to his private lab.

The Gizoid hadn't moved an inch, until he stepped into the room once more. It turned its head, keeping its eyes glued on him. Gerald set the big case on the floor and took out a key. He unlocked the padlock on the suitcase and flipped the big top open. Gerald pulled out several guns, all of unique variety, and shot them all into the wall opposite of the Gizoid. He shot each and every bullet loaded into his 25 unique guns in his collection and the Gizoid watched him every second. As soon as he stopped his barrage, the Gizoid turned to see the metal wall he had been shooting at the whole time.

The metal wall was riddled with bullet holes, the one's he did with the shotguns were smoldering a little. Gerald breathed heavily, he was getting too old for this high octane crap. He inhaled deeply and stood straight up looking down at the Gizoid, who had looked back at the professor. It quickly rose to its feet and spoke.

"I shall follow your every command, and never leave your side" Gerald just stood there awe struck. He couldn't believe that worked. But man was he thankful. He decided to test the Gizoid's loyalty, just to make sure it meant what it said.

"... Gizoid... lift your right leg" immediately, the Gizoid's leg was lifted into the air, as if it was preparing for an axe kick. Gerald smiled.

"Okay, you can put it down now" it completed its axe kick and slammed a large dent in the metal floor. The sheer strength of the kick on the ground caused all the humans to fall to the ground. Gerald almost fell, but the Gizoid seemingly teleported to his side and caught him in its arms.

"Oh. Thank you, Gizoid. I'm quite alright" Gerald said as he broke free from the Gizoid's gentle hold.

"All I said was put your leg back on the ground. Who told you to destroy the floor with extreme prejudice?" he thought to himself nervously. Gerald decided to make the Gizoid understand some rules before anything or anyone got hurt.

"Listen Gizoid, I want you to never hurt anyone, under any circumstance. Do you understand?"

The Gizoid nodded.

"Did you see what you did for me? You kept me from getting hurt. I want you to do that for everyone else you see as well. Is that understood?"

The Gizoid nodded again.

"And lastly, I want you to listen to everyone, not just me. Everyone here has been Linked with you, Gizoid. Do you understand that?"

The Gizoid shook its head no. Gerald got on one knee and sighed deeply.

"I know you have established a Link with me. I'm the primary Link that you have. You understand that, I know"

The Gizoid sat down, cross-legged, again and nodded.

"Okay. But, you also have to treat everyone here with the same loyalty that you treat me with. If you don't, then you would no longer be loyal to me, because I'm telling you to do something and if you don't do it, you would be disloyal. Are you still with me?"

The Gizoid sat silently for a minute, but slowly nodded.

"So, if you treat everyone like they have made a Link with you, then you will be protecting the Link you have with me. Got it? We're all connected to you now, Gizoid"

The Gizoid nodded, almost excitedly. And just for a moment, Gerald thought he saw a smile in its eyes.

"Come on now, Gerald, old boy. A robot that wiped out an entire civilization is not going to have emotions. In fact, no robot has emotions. That's what makes them capable of such cold-hearted acts" Gerald thought to himself. He turned and realized the Gizoid had gotten up and walked to the group of scientists still cowering in fear. It slowly touched its chest plate and reached the same hand to the group of scientists.

"We have Link... together. For Professor... I shall obey your every commands" it spoke, with a hint of gentleness. Could it tell that they were scared? Was it trying to calm them down? Just how advanced was this robot? The scientists began to relax a little and the Gizoid began mimicking things that they did, causing them to laugh after a while. Gerald watched the Gizoid and his comrades getting to know each other in a friendly way. They had basically forgotten just how petrified they were a couple minutes ago. Gerald continued to write in his journal as his colleagues watched the Gizoid.

"While it still is a fearsome weapon of destruction, I might have discovered a sort of... heart inside it. Even now, it's with my fellow scientists, goofing off. While it remains under my control, at least it won't be used for evil. Everyone is safe, even the Gizoid is safe from itself. However, if someone with evil intentions ever forms a "Link" with the Gizoid… I don't even want to think about what will happen. I must continue research. Find out how one can re-establish a "Link" with the Gizoid… It could end up saving us all in the end..."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** **So basically, this chapter was originally only meant for the exploration of the A.R.K. I was gonna take you around the Space Colony, part of it anyway, it's really, really huge. XDDDDDD So all it was going to be was Maria wandering around the A.R.K. and eventually going to Gerald's laboratory and it would end there as a nice, quiet, calm story.**

 **Basically, it was gonna be boring. X'DDDDDD I was bored just writing it! So I brought in a mysterious guest early to give it some excitement! And apparently that was effective, so I'm happy.**

 **To answer a few questions you new guys might have, allow me to explain:**  
 **1\. In this fan universe, Mobius is a separate planet from Earth. Earth is where humans are and Mobius is where Sonic and friends are. Kind of like Sonic X, but less planet converging nonsense and confusion. XDDD**  
 **2\. I tried to keep everything as logical as possible, but as we know, Sonic the Hedgehog is not quite logical so forgive me if somethings seem a little far fetched.**  
 **3\. This is the product of research and careful theorizing/speculation on the games only. No comic or show continuity is used in this fan universe.**

 **I am currently working on covers for these stories, but if you feel compelled to draw something cover-like for it, go right ahead. Just let me know so I can show off your talent to everyone else! ^^**

 **Favorites are appreciated, but comments are welcomed warmly. Thanks for sticking with the story! Above all else, enjoy!**

* * *

Over the next few weeks, the Gizoid had become a major part of the A.R.K. It would do all the heavy lifting, quite literally. When asteroids were on course to collide with the A.R.K., the Gizoid would go into space and destroy the space boulders before they could touch the space colony. It could even anticipate when a lab accident would happen and guard the researchers closest to the accident from harm. The people of the A.R.K. began to wonder how they got along this far without the Gizoid.

Gerald was also glad that the little robot was on the A.R.K. as a helper and not a destructive weapon like it was most likely intended to be. Still, Gerald's research on the Gizoid was ongoing, albeit, with no results. Gerald just couldn't figure out the "Link system" installed into the robot. The hieroglyphics didn't have in depth details of the inner mechanisms of the Gizoid. Just a general, cryptic warning about it destroying the entire planet.

"Helpful" Gerald thought to himself. But there was something that he had yet to try, mainly because he wasn't confident that it would work. It was much too simple... but what did he really have to lose?

"Gizoid, is there any chance that you know how to undo the Link system you're built on?" he asked, half serious, with the Gizoid laying down on an operating table. Its chest opened and wires spilling out of it, like a cup overflowing with water. The elderly genius was currently trying to tap into the power core of the ancient robot; what was it made of, how it was constructed, whether or not it needed to be replaced or cleaned, all of these things he wanted to find out so if there was a more efficient way to harness Chaos energy, he would know for future reference.

"I do not know how to do that, Professor Gerald" it responded blankly. Gerald continued to examine the cords and wires in the robot. He wiped his brow, clearly tired.

"Of course it can't be that easy" he chuckled out sadly. He continued to tinker with the Gizoid's insides.

As far as Project Shadow's progression... there was none. Project Shadow was stuck, permanently, according to the other scientists. They had exhausted all possibilities, all ideas, all theories. There was just nothing left for them to work with. And they tried to tell Gerald of their predicament, but he dismissed their notions. He was close to something, he knew it. He just had to figure out what the "something" he was close to was.

"I can't give up. Something is missing. I just need to figure out what. Ugh. This is unbearably frustrating" he said to himself as he continued working on the Gizoid.

"This is unbearably boring" Maria thought to herself as she stared at the ceiling of her room. She was on the floor, her golden blond hair spread out from her head and covered the floor around her head like a blanket. She was of course, referring to being stuck on the A.R.K. She was fed up.

There was nothing for her to do. Nothing fun, anyway. She had read all the books at her disposal a hundred times over, she had played and out grown nearly all her toys, she couldn't go out and explore the A.R.K. without someone to keep her from really enjoying herself. And what's worse... she didn't have anyone to be with.

Sure, nurses would monitor her condition daily, doctors would come once in a while, Grandfather would make a daily visit... whenever he could. But there was no one her age. There was no one who could play with her, she was surrounded by adults. Adults who worked all the time. All. The. Time. And so it was unbearably boring for the sick little girl.

She stared at the ceiling, the same as everyday since she can remember, looking at the details of the ceiling panels, the lights, the sprinkler system, the air conditioning vent, and the blah blah blah. She had done this so many times, she couldn't be bothered to even do that. She sat up and pushed herself to her feet. She was through with being cooped up in her room. She had been on the A.R.K. most of her life and she had yet to see all of it. It was way past time she explored the space colony.

"If I never get to see that planet down there, then at least I'll see everything up here" she thought to herself as she pushed a button on her wall. Suddenly her electronic door shot up with a swooshing sound. The young girl peaked her head out and glanced from one end of the hall to the other. There was no one around, it was the perfect time. She pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled on it before placing it on the metal floor right outside her room's threshold.

With that done she ran off in the opposite direction of the infirmary, not really knowing where she was going. But that was the fun of this little adventure she was going to take. She didn't know what to expect. Her cobalt shoes clicked merrily as she skipped through the hallways of the A.R.K. living area. Maria couldn't help but hum a happy tune and bob her head side to side as she made her way past all the familiar sights and into new, unknown rooms.

She continued, turning when forks in the road presented themselves, and found a giant room with lots of lines painted on the floor in strange patterns. Maria stopped skipping and slowly entered the room. She could hear the echoing thumps of something bouncing on the ground, screeches of sneakers, shouts of excitement from adults. They seemed to be playing a game of some sort with a weird orange colored ball. They were in teams, she figured that out, bouncing was definitely part of the game, but they kept throwing the ball at these weird structures on either end of the room.

Maria watched them for only a few moments before moving through that big room into another big room. This one she recognized, she remembered walking in with her Grandfather a couple of times. It was the library, the place she got all of her Earth books from. She spent hours immersed in those books when she first got them from this place. Now she was bored with them, she read all the books in the library. There was no adventure to be had in this room.

The blonde girl cut right through the library and entered a room she didn't even realize was there. This room was a lot different than any other room she had been in. This room had plants all over it, so much green was covering the room, you could hardly tell it was a section in a spacecraft. The precious explorer was in awe, she had only ever seen plants in books. But these were much more interesting than the pictures.

She wandered around the room, wide eyed and gasping in delight at each new plant, new fragrance, each new texture. This was almost too beautiful to be real, she thought. There was nothing quite like this. Oh how lucky the people on the planet below were! To be surrounded by this luscious, vibrant life 24/7 had to be nothing short of paradise!

Maria's excited feet took her all over the wondrous garden, from the small trees, to the fruit producing shrubs and bushes, to the flowers. And the flowers were the most spectacular part of this entire jewel in a desert of metal. There were colors and hues, shades and gradations, large and small, but all of them were beautiful. In Maria's eyes all of the delicate blossomed petals were masterpieces to behold.

"This is the most incredible thing I've ever seen!"

"This is the most incredible thing I've ever seen, Professor!" called one of Gerald's colleagues. Gerald thanked him, he was ready to take a break from the Gizoid's complex mechanics. That little robot was proving to be a bigger project than he initially thought it would be.

"What's got you so excited?" he asked politely, wiping his hands with a handkerchief.

"Professor, there's a fascinating phenomena occurring right outside of the space colony! It's an asteroid like form. But it's inhabited!" the man enthusiastically explained. Gerald's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

"In- inhabited? What else did the scans pick up from it?" the old man asked, his voice growing loud unintentionally. He was just too curious about this new thing approaching.

"Well uh, the scans are still in progress, but the External Observation Towers were able to make out a strange energy signature. And it just so happens that it is-"

"Similar to the Chaos Energy signature from the emeralds... This is interesting indeed..." Gerald's large mustache quirked up in unison with the corners of his mouth. Things were beginning to finally get exciting again. The entire Project Shadow team had hit a solid, inescapable brick wall on their progress; the Biolizard was a giant murdering feral failure, the Gizoid was just the source of more questions and not one answer, the Artificial Chaos were a step in the wrong direction.

They had basically run out of ideas on how to proceed. How were they going to unlock the secrets of the Chaos Emeralds and immortality and the cure for Maria's disease? Gerald had been struggling to come up with a solution for these long months. But finally he just might have found it.

"... Tell the External Observation Towers to get ready to make a broadcast"

"Professor?"

"There are living beings with energy signatures similar to the Chaos Emerald's energy on that asteroid. We've been trying to make the link between living organism and Chaos Energy this whole time and something almost exactly like it suddenly appears? We can't just let this opportunity slip by!" Gerald quickly walked out of the room, the doors automatically shutting behind him and the A.R.K. researcher.

"We need to move, quickly!"

She needed to move quickly. She had already wasted a lot of her time in the Botanical Garden area, it was only a few hours before she had to take her medicine. And when the nurses come to her room to find it empty, Maria knew she would be in trouble. So she had to get back before anyone knew she had gone.

However, there was much more exploring she wanted to do first. So with as much stealth as a young girl with no formal stealth training could muster, she avoided detection and entered into rooms she had never been in before. Most of them were boring for the adventure seeking Maria, though.

Rooms called Technical Facilities, Manufacturing Sectors, Utility Operations, and System Operations were just filled with boring adult stuff. Confusing buttons and knobs connected to confusing screens and lights. Blegh. Very dull and not adventurous at all. But all the rooms weren't so bad.

For instance, in one of the Manufacturing Sectors, there was a giant wall of glass that let Maria see some giant swirling machinery and tubes. These were the Rebreathing Systems, Maria recalled her Grandfather explaining it to her.

She had read in her books that there was no air in space so she asked her Grandfather how there was air in the Space Colony. He wisely told her that the Rebreathing systems were working in accordance with the carbon dioxide being exhaled by everyone aboard the A.R.K. It basically recycled the substantially unused oxygen content of each breath exhaled. Oxygen is added to replenish the amount metabolized by the population.

It was all very impressive, how it worked and looked. The bright eyed girl also managed to catch a glimpse of the A.R.K.'s power plant. And only a small glimpse at that, the generator alone must have been bigger than half a mile. Maria was especially attracted to the power plant because in her books, power plants were always creating giant clouds of smoke. But this one didn't seem to make any smoke and what's more, it looked like it was powered by water... Somehow.

It fascinated her. Thanks to this giant structure, the A.R.K. could keep running comfortably. The lights, the air conditioning, the computers, everything electric depended on those generators. The golden haired girl smiled at the small section of the power plant.

"Thank you, Power Plant" she quietly said before walking back. She had to continue, her exploration was getting more amazing as she went. She couldn't wait to see what else was in store.

He couldn't wait to see what else was in store! This asteroid, at first glance, was nothing but a random space rock. But upon closer inspection, there were structures, a civilization of sorts, not just a few micro-organisms haphazardly slapped on a floating boulder. Gerald, as well as his fellow scientists in the Observational Tower, could see intelligent life on the dark asteroid.

Through the scans and the telescopes, they could see that there was electrical technology on it as well. Just as Gerald hypothesized. After learning just a few more things about the vessel in close proximity to the A.R.K., Gerald was ready to try and communicate with the black asteroid.

Despite his colleagues disapproval of the idea, Gerald ordered the technicians in the tower to prepare to send a broadcast to all channels. They really weren't happy about this, considering they knew nothing about the asteroid or the organisms on it. Sure, they seemed to be intelligent enough to have structures and electrical technology, but didn't that make them all the more dangerous?

And even if they were to receive the message, why would they care? They had no idea who the A.R.K. scientists were either, they could just choose to ignore them. But more than likely, they would probably invade the A.R.K. and... well they didn't want to think about what would happen if they actually breached the space colony.

But what if they didn't even receive the message? Then all of this effort would have been wasted on a fruitless venture... again... Perhaps they knew it was better to try something drastic than to do nothing and go back home with almost nothing to show for it. Besides, Gerald needed this, he was never the most stable person, but this potentially dangerous thing was his final ray of hope. They couldn't take that away from him. And who knows, maybe everything would work out in the end.

Maybe...

... God, they hoped this wouldn't end badly.

So they hesitantly got the equipment ready and awaited Gerald's message. The old man in question picked up the microphone connected to the broadcasters. He swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the sudden lump in his throat. It occurred to him that he was about to talk to an alien species for the first time. He was about to talk to aliens, real, actual aliens.

This had to be some sort of nerdy dream come true for him. He clicked the button he needed to speak and be heard, potentially. But no words came out. HE WAS ABOUT TO COMMUNICATE WITH ALIENS.

HOLY CRAP. THAT WAS SOMETHING ON HIS BUCKET LIST! Gerald forgot himself and started to bounce around giddily. Earning him the confused and almost disturbed glances of his underlings.

"Guys, I'm about to talk to freaking aliens! Is this not the coolest thing ever?!" Gerald asked, turning to them expectantly.

... Well when he put it that way.

The entire room of adults began to squee like pre-teen girls thinking about a dreamy boy band. They got up from there seats and some held each other's hands as they incoherently babbled about this being "so awesome they couldn't breathe".

She couldn't breathe. There was just too much stink in the air. Maria had opened the door hoping to find something interesting, but all she got was a giant wind of funky garbage blown in her face.

Turns out that last Manufacturing Sector led to the Garbage Disposal and Maria unknowingly walked into her smelly doom. She quickly ran through the room, careful for her bouquet not to fall or touch anything in the dirty room. After running across the metal railings that stretched above the actual garbage and waste of the entire space colony, Maria finally made it to another door leading somewhere else.

Inhaling fresh breaths of relief, Maria kneeled on the floor. All that running was making her a little tired. The poor girl quickly regained her composure and realized something was odd. The floor was reflecting a weird moving light. The curious Maria looked up and was immediately in awe of the sight.

In this large metallic room, there was enormous glass containers filled to the brim with water. Clear tubes connected to the vast glass tanks and stretched all over the room. And behind the clear water tanks, the wondrous peaceful planet that was the gem of this galaxy, shining magnificently in the vast blackness of space. Its only company the pinpricks of light scattered across the dark vacuum surrounding it and the Space Colony A.R.K. its greatest observer. The glow of it shined in the room like a spotlight from a stage, making the slight shifts in the water appear like Aurora Borealis projected on the more bland surfaces of the room.

It was... incredible...

It was incredible. But the sheer magnitude of the feat he was about to attempt would not delay him from actually doing it. Gaining his composure, the bald genius cleared his throat, pushed the correct button, and inhaled. He needed to say the right things, first impressions and all that.

"He- hello, unidentified space craft! This is a friendly transmission from the nearby space colony! Repeat, this is a peaceful transmission from the Space Colony A.R.K. My name is Professor Gerald Robotnik, I'm the leader of this space colony! I wish to speak to your captain, please respond!" Gerald managed to get out without stuttering from anxiety.

He lifted his finger off the talk button and awaited for the static to turn into words. But after several tense moments of nothing, Gerald tried reaching out again.

"Unidentified space craft, this is a peaceful transmission from the Space Colony A.R.K. This is Professor Gerald Robotnik, the leader of this space colony. Please respond if you can hear me"

Again, the transmission room was silent, save the white noise of static. The Professor tried a few more times, but the result was the same. The fellow researchers and scientists were convinced. There was no way they could interact with the foreign space vessel.

"Please respond if you can hear my voice! I just want to speak to your leader for a moment! We come in peace!" Gerald continued pleading for a response. All he got was static. The ends of his fluffy white mustache visibly drooped, his expression following suit. The A.R.K. researchers tried to tell him to stop. They gave it their best, but this was to be expected. Maybe they really didn't have a way to hear the message even though they had other electrical capabilities.

Gerald stood silent for a few moments, processing what his followers were saying and the relentless white noise of silence on the other end. They humans tried to lead him out of the room, but Gerald pushed them off of him. He ran out of the External Observation Tower, all the way to his private lab in the Project Shadow sector of the A.R.K.

"There's more than one place to send a transmission, if I can't do it there with those naysayers, then I'll proceed on my own" he thought to himself, determination set in his strides.

This had to happen. He wasn't going to let his last chance pass him by. Those extraterrestrials held the secret to Project Shadow's success. He could feel it. And he had to make contact with the space vessel.

Somehow.

"Somehow... this kinda small thingy is stabilizing the WHOLE A.R.K.?" Maria asked out loud. She was pretty shocked, when she saw signs for the Orbital Stabilizing Wings, she was expecting... airplane wings. Though, if her memory wasn't failing her, thanks to NIDS, she would have remembered the day she first entered the A.R.K. back on her home planet.

Back on Earth. Her grandfather told her, they weren't going to be navigating the stars for the whole trip. He said the A.R.K. was only meant to get to the planet and orbit around it. These little wings were meant for that express purpose, like the attitude and orbit control subsystem of a satellite. They were there to make sure the space colony stayed in the correct orbital position, while keeping the antennas positioned in the correct place.

But to Maria, they just looked like flat little flecks of metal stuck to the side of the space colony. They weren't very pretty to look at. So she continued in the direction she walked to get there, her flowers still filling her presence with a tranquil aroma as they rested comfortably in her hands. Right down from where the weird orbital wings were, the Docking Bays and something called the A.R.K. Lift.

Curious as ever, Maria walked past the sign to get there. As she entered the small tunnel, she could hear faintly a low hum of an engine reverberate off the walls, the smell of exhaust slightly cut through her lovely flowers. Her cobalt blue shoes clicking on the metal floor, the distance between the elegant Maria and the actual Docking Bays were closing rapidly. After a few moments, the tunnel expanded into a corridor, from there Maria could see a vehicle of some sort.

"That must be the A.R.K. Lift. I wonder if I can get it to take me to Grandfather. I think I'm all pooped out from adventuring..." the young girl thought to herself. Truly it had been a long day for her. She had seen so much, snuck past the grown up, experienced so many things for the first time. It was a long day, but it was a good day. Maria had never had this much fun, being cooped up in her room.

Cooped up in the room, Gerald, with the Gizoid by his side, quickly plopped in front of the small communication system in his lab. He expertly set everything to properly broadcast on all channels, picked up a desk microphone, and clicked the talk button.

"Alien vessel! This is Gerald Robotnik, Professor Gerald Robotnik! I swear, I mean you no harm! I don't want to trouble you or my crew! But I need you to respond!" he pleaded, his past insecurities and inhibitions out the metaphorical window. He had to get there attention, had to reach them. Someway.

"Please respond! I need help!" he yelled, tears beginning to sting at his eyes. Somehow. Get them to say something back.

"I can't do this! I've gone as far as I can go! And curse it all, it's not enough!" Gerald was beginning to lose control. The Gizoid stood by his side, observing him.

"The reason I'm here... The reason ALL of us are here... is to find a way to cure an innocent girl! The only girl in the world- in the cosmos, that matters to me!" Gerald began to hunch over, placing his hand on the desktop. Sweat drops dotted the surface as he tried to hold back sobs. Pull yourself together. You have to keep talking. You can't let this chance slip.

You can't let her down!

Gerald's eyes shot open and he stood to his full size again. Not realizing the Gizoid was just trying to comfort him by rubbing his back, he slightly pushed it back, pressing forward in this singular goal.

"We've done all we can do- I have done all I can do! I can't keep this up any longer! Every possible thing, every possible angle, every possible path to take, I've done it! And it's not enough!" he screamed bitterly. He inwardly cursed himself, he was completely and utterly useless. He had always failed when it truly mattered; his wife, his son, his daughter in law. And now his granddaughter's fate hanged in the balance.

He was not about to let her die too!

"I DON'T WANT HER TO DIE! SHE CAN'T DIE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!? SHE NEEDS TO LIVE AND I CAN'T KEEP HER ALIVE MUCH LONGER! I NEED YOUR HELP! PLEASE!" the elderly man wailed at the top of his lungs. He could feel his throat beginning to rasp. He ignored it. He could hear the Gizoid faintly say "master" in the background. He ignored it. The static continued to fill the other end.

He ignored it.

"I'LL DO ANYTHING! ANYTHING! JUST HELP ME SAVE HER! HELP ME FIND A WAY TO CURE HER! HELP ME SOLVE THE SECRETS OF IMMORTALITY! HELP ME CREATE A LIFE FORM THAT CAN NEVER GET SICK! NEVER DIE!" The tears flowed freely from the Professor's eyes. He had lost it. The Gizoid, as powerful as it was, could do nothing but watch its master struggle with things it couldn't understand. It just stood there, helpless. But if the Gizoid knew one thing, his master had lost it.

"PLEASE! HELP ME CREATE... THE ULTIMATE LIFE FORM!" he cried loud enough for the entire A.R.K. to hear. Sweat poured down his face and stained his turtleneck collar. He slumped to his knees, the microphone still clutched desperately in his hands. Gerald let the tears flow for a moment, futilely trying to suppress sobs.

He couldn't fail her. He had to keep pressing. But he just didn't know if his cries were in vain. And he never would. If they didn't respond. And all he could hear was static. Slowly his hope was dying. Evaporating like a drop of water in the desert sand. He didn't even feel the Gizoid tentatively trying to comfort him once more.

All he could hear was the static...

All she could hear was the static. After she looked at the Docking Bays, she decided it was time to go see the Professor. But he was all the way on the other side of the space colony. She remembered that the lifts were expressly created for the purpose of traveling across the A.R.K. quickly and easily.

But when she pushed the button on the communicator ans asked the grown ups in the External Utility Tower to please start it up, there was nothing but static. Maria, eager to see her Grandfather and not wanting to bother the grown ups if they were busy, looked sheepishly at the buttons and switches of the lift.

"Ummmmm... hmmmm... uhhhhh... which one-?" she murmured to herself as she ghosted her hand over the controls. Timid as a little rabbit, she reached for one button, but swiftly pulled back, only to slowly reach for another button, but pull back as soon as she was an inch away from touching it. And the process was repeated over and over until she got tired of not trying anything.

Sighing in defeat, Maria slumped back into the driver's seat, "Well these should really be labeled. What if there's an emergency and someone doesn't know how to operate this thing? Like... this emergency right now!"

Maria absentmindedly looked around the lift, not really expecting to find anything, just more out of boredom than anything else. This quickly became boring however, and she finally had the motivation she needed to push all the buttons on the console until it started working. And after a moment, much to her surprise, the lift up started up.

Pumping her tiny fist into the air in victory, she giggled. "Yeah, I knew I could do it!" The hum of the lift rose in the reverberation-y corridor. The good little girl quickly sat back down and strapped in her seatbelt. A wide grin plastered on her face, she eagerly awaited for the lift to pick up speed and shoot across the A.R.K.

Much to her display, it was only going about 5 mph. With a dissatisfied huff, blowing her golden locks out of her face, Maria looked for another button or switch to speed it up. After experimenting with a few again, she found the one she was looking for. A lever with certain settings for speed.

"Who put it on 'leisurely sightseeing'?!" she complained more than asked. That just wouldn't do. Maria pulled the rusting lever up to max speed and as soon as she did, the lift turned into a more exciting locomotive. A half yelp, half laugh exited her mouth as the A.R.K. Lift went about 40 mph across the remainder of the Docking Bays.

The young girl wasn't prepared for what was about to happen next. After the Docking Bay's disappeared, she entered into a small subway-like tunnel, and then abruptly, a glass dome covered the lift and she was in space. She was no longer on a space colony, she was IN SPACE.

She was technically outside of the A.R.K.! Maria shrieked in delight at the ride she was taking. Who would have thought that this was how you could get around the A.R.K.? This was WAY better than walking everywhere and getting tired! She tried to take it all in, the outside image of the A.R.K., the vastness of space she was technically in right now, the almost unobstructed view of the gorgeous planet she always wanted to visit.

She felt incredibly happy, being granted this sudden freedom, at this fast pace. She was practically in Heaven. As the lift shot her across the A.R.K. she noticed a large round structure propped on the outside of the A.R.K. Maria was going to fast and was too far away to realize what it was, but it was one of two Artificial Gravity Generators. It was probably for the best that she didn't get up close to it, she might have turned the A.R.K. into a weightless mess.

But she didn't want to see the A.R.K., she wanted to take in the beauty of space. And that's when she turned and saw it. The black asteroid. It was close to the A.R.K., like it was headed straight for it. When Maria looked at it... she felt a little scared. In comparison to the beautiful planet and the many other comets and asteroids she has seen outside the A.R.K's windows, this dark asteroid looked... so ominous.

And just as suddenly as she had gotten that impression of it, it vanished from sight. All of space vanished from sight. She was back in a lift tunnel and as it slowed down, she entered into another set of Docking Bays. The slightly saddened girl got off the lift as soon as it slowed enough and landed on familiar metal flooring.

"That was the most fun I've ever had. Hopefully, I'll get to take that ride again..." she thought to herself as she clutched the flowers she had carried this whole time just a little tighter. After a small moment of silence and a melancholy sigh, Maria took a few steps toward the entrance of the corridor than led to the tunnel. She was ready for the adventure to end now. She was ready to see him.

He was ready to see them. The aliens with the similar energy to Chaos Energy, were Gerald's and by extension, Maria's last hope. He was so ready to communicate with them and even if they couldn't do anything for him, even if there was nothing he could do, he could at least have the notion that every single possibility was tried. There would have been nothing he or anyone else, human or alien, could do.

He could at least have that to soothe some of his grief. But no. There would be no such comfort. The aliens were going to pass the A.R.K. by and never know how desperate he was. They were never going to know that if they had talked to him, they might have helped Project Shadow to move leaps and bounds it would never be able to without them.

Or worse of all, maybe all of this truly was for nothing. There was a good chance Gerald had gotten his hopes up for nothing, there was no real evidence that those aliens were capable of sharing any knowledge that could have helped him in any way. Which didn't help his mood at all.

The poor scientist had cried for several minutes and eventually sat on the floor defeated and silent. His solemn mood didn't go ignored by his faithful servant, the Gizoid. Over the small robot's stay on the A.R.K., Gerald had discovered a few things about it. It copied things it saw and experienced, it had an artificial intelligence that made it use the things it copied in new combinations to accomplish a certain task, and there was something about it that made it seem like it had... a heart.

Sometimes it would display this intangible part of itself, often when Maria was around it played with her almost like a family pet. And when it wasn't being studied by the researchers, he would copy them in a joking way, keeping the team entertained. And very rarely, it would sit closer than necessary to Gerald, like a young child dependent on the presence and touch of their parent.

And right then, it displayed this phantom heart once again. As Gerald succumb to hopelessness, the fair colored robot gentle patted Gerald's head. If the elderly scientist wasn't in such a foul mood, he would have been fascinated by the feat happening in front of him. Instead, the robot's gentle pats and comforting calls of "Master...", were of no affect. The old man was just too crushed to do anything but sit on the floor and cry silently. The whole day had tired him out...

The whole day had tired her out. Maria was really starting to feel the weight of all the exploring she's done. It was truly a full day and Maria was fatigued in a satisfying way. As she walked through the familiar laboratory, she noticed that the researchers were a lot more reserved than usual.

Wondering where her Grandfather was, seeing as he was always immediately within sight when she entered the Project Shadow laboratories, she asked them where he was. They told her he retreated to his private office and explained that he was incredibly sad. Maria, being the jewel that she was, decided she needed to cheer him up. She hated seeing her grandfather sad, so whenever he would get sad or depressed, which she noticed was happening a lot, she would come to his rescue.

She didn't know it, but this was why the scientists and researchers bothered to tell her Gerald's state of mind at all. They had all tried to cheer their boss up when he would often fall to depression, but nothing they did or said could reach him. Maria was the only one who could help the genius get back to his determined and confident self. Only Maria had the gift to light up his life and that's why they pointed her his direction.

The golden haired girl, walked quickly, but quietly, to the back of the joined laboratories where her brilliant grandfather sulked. She knocked on the metal door, something only she did, everyone else would call him on the office line. Immediately registering the knocks as his beloved granddaughter.

He quickly stood to his feet, politely pushing the Gizoid away so he could get the door open. He got his office remote and click the button to open the metallic door. Maria's smiling face greeted him and his mood had already started to lighten. The Gizoid, also recognizing Maria as a friendly face, got up to greet her. However, before they could get a word out, a deep, ominous voice rang out.

" **Professor... Gerald... Robotnik...** "

The voice seemed to chill his soul, clutch his heart in a vice, and suffocate him all at once. As he turned to look around the room, frantically searching for the origin of the dark voice. Maria, still standing in the doorway, looked at her grandfather curiously.

"Grandfather? What is-?"

Maria felt an impossibly severe shiver shoot through her frail body. She gasped, terrified and confused, at the sudden sensation, gaining Gerald's attention. As he whipped his head around to see what was wrong with Maria, blurring past the Gizoid which was also looking at him confused but alert.

And immediately, his heart and breath stopped in a horrified gasp.

A demon.

A demon was right behind Maria.

It's bloodshot, soul-less eyes pierced Gerald's still heart and again, the sensation of his soul chilling came back in full force. All of his instincts told him nothing. He could think nothing but one thing:

What was this thing about to do to Maria?

Maria.

Oh God, Maria.

It's right behind her.

IT'S RIGHT BEHIND HER!

Gerald tried to move, but he couldn't even find his breath. He simply watched in terror as Maria looked down to her hands clutching the delicate flowers she had picked during her exploring.

But they were no longer flowers.

They quickly shriveled and died in her hands when the chill shot through her. The once lively and beautiful petals fell disgracefully to the floor, desaturated and corroded.

Something definitely wasn't right.

Maria slowly turned around, against her better judgement.

And she immediately wished she hadn't.

A monster.

A massive, frightening monster stood just inches from her.

Her breath was gone and her heart frozen.

The being reached a clawed inky black hand to the innocent girl. The Gizoid sprung into action a few feet away and Gerald finally found his voice again.

"MARIAAAAAAAAA!"


	8. Chapter 8

A peach colored blur was all the paralyzed girl saw; it quickly slammed into the giant monster that had suddenly appeared, effectively stopping it from grabbing her. And a few micro seconds before she realized what happened, she was whisked away from the black creature and in the arms of her loving grandfather. Only when she felt his worried, shaking arms clutching her for dear life did she realize what the blur was...

"Gizoid!" Gerald called out in concern. The small robot had managed to get Maria out of the way of the fearsome monster by kicking it right across its wrinkled face. But the kick didn't seem to damage the dark creature at all.

Now it stood in between the ominous being and the humans. For a moment, the terrifying beast just stared them down, its 3 eyes bloodshot and impossibly piercing. Gerald was sure it could see into his heart, into his soul, nothing could escape those crimson orbs. But suddenly, the small robot shot off toward the terrifying monster, a robotic fist slammed into the creature's chest area.

Or so it seemed. The robot's fist did make contact with something, but it wasn't the body of the creature. Its fist shivered against an invisible wall, shielding the grotesque monster. The robot wasn't deterred by this; it continued to press its assault against the invisible shield; dozens upon dozens of blows connected with the solid air enveloping the powerful creature.

A three fingered hand shifted in front of the raging Gizoid and a blurry wave sent it flailing into the wall of Gerald's office. The humans screamed in horror as their only hope went flying, caving in the metal wall. The small family helplessly called out to their fallen comrade as the creature resumed its original task and floated closer to them.

" **Professor Gerald Robotnik...** "

The voice rang sinisterly in the elderly man's head, unbeknownst to his granddaughter. However, there was little to no time for him to react to the bone chilling baritone in his ear as the Gizoid managed to get down from the indent in the wall, grab hold of the black creature's robes and flipped it across the room and out of the metal doors, taking the fight back into the big laboratory complex.

After several moments of trying to get their bearings, Gerald shakily guided the frightened Maria out of his office and into the laboratories. The professor didn't know if the Gizoid could defeat the hideous apparition, all he knew was if they stayed in his office, they were at a dead end. He had to get Maria away from this, as far away as possible. Hell, if the fiery little robot kept the thing busy long enough, he could get her to the escape pods, and from there they could make it all the way back to Earth, and they both could be living on an island off the coast of Australia, where nothing could get to her-

" **That would be nice, wouldn't it... Gerald...** "

That was really starting to freak him the frick out. Gerald looked up finally, and saw the situation he was in. And just like that, his getaway plan and the fantasy there of, died.

In the laboratory, all of his co workers, all of the scientists in the Project Shadow stations, were being held captive. Captive by a... legion of dark creatures. But these were different from the other one the Gizoid was fighting. For starters, the Gizoid was up against the biggest one of the group, and the little ones didn't have any clothes or accessories at all.

But they did have guns. Weird and abnormally shaped, but the professor knew a gun when he saw one. He did have a collection of various antiques after all.

The sound of the Gizoid slamming into the ground broke Gerald out of his train of thought. There was no time to gawk at the situation, he needed to get her out of there NOW. But as the small family continued to move out of the room, their way was blocked by bigger black creatures. Gerald frantically tried to stop, nearly falling on his behind in fear. The beasts towered over them; Maria screamed for the Gizoid, and Gerald was seconds from doing the same.

But then he turns to it, and he freezes.

The black creatures had the Gizoid on the ropes. The poor little fighter was being attacked from all sides, any dark monster without a hostage was taking a shot at the little guy. But man was he putting up a good fight! All the fighting knowledge stored in the robot's hard drive was being recalled to the fullest, movements that didn't seem humanly possible were being preformed so swiftly Gerald could hardly register them all.

There were alien bodies flying everywhere. However, the Gizoid's victory was not assured, the main monster engaged him again, blasting another blurry wave at the helpless robot. The humans watched helplessly as the dark creature flung the Gizoid into the various surfaces of the laboratory.

Even some of the hostage scientists were victims to the flailing android. After one final swing of its arm, the dark creature sent the Gizoid hurtling through the floor and down to the lower levels of the A.R.K. And just like that, the laboratory was still; quiet, only the echoes of the falling metal man was heard.

Gerald's eyes were fixed on the hole in the floor the dark being made with the defeated robot's body. It was only a few feet in front of him. Hopelessly, he asked himself if the Gizoid was going to get up. If it was still working after the colossal trouncing it had just endured. What chance would they have if the little robot couldn't get up and fight? It was the only one that stood an inkling of a chance against-

" **Are we through with the useless games, Gerald..?** "

With a terrified twitch, Gerald shot his gaze upon the ebony creature, floating towards him. Towards him and his granddaughter.

Towards Maria. He had to keep it away from Maria!

As quickly as his old body would let him, Gerald threw a computer chair at the nearest grunt alien, caught its gun in midair, and pointed it at the black monster. In response, all the other alien soldiers aimed their guns at him. But Gerald, didn't notice.

Or rather, he didn't care.

"WH- WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" he shouted, half angry, half scared. The black creature continued to float toward the old man and the blonde girl, who was still confused as to what was happening.

" **The question is... what do you want Gerald?** " the deep voice echoed in his mind once more, sending chills down his spine. What a revolting sound.

"Wh- wh- wh- What are you talking about?!" Gerald croaked. Maria squeezed closer to Gerald as the looming beast came closer to them. Gerald repositioned the foreign gun in his arms and tried to aim it as best he could.

"STAY BACK! YOU KEEP AWAY FROM US!" Gerald screamed at the top of his lungs, struggling to find a trigger on the oblong shaped weapon. The alien was nearly 4 feet away from them, its hand outstretched toward them.

This was it. This is how he and Maria were going to die. By the hands of this grotesque-

WHAM!

Out of the hole, the Gizoid flew into the abdomen of the dark monster. Its eyes nearly plopped out of its sockets, the sound of grunting in pain filled Gerald's head.

Meaning that attack actually hurt the monster.

And that was music to his ears.

The agile robot did a flip in the air and sent its leg into the ebony demon's side, which flung the giant beast into a wall. A small hand gripped Gerald's arm even harder than it had been. He looked down and saw Maria's wincing face. She was holding her hand over her ear. She must have heard the groaning of the creature too.

Lights flashed across the room as every black entity with a gun shot at the Gizoid free-falling. The android flipped and twirled as much as it could to avoid being hit, but it wasn't enough. The laser fire connected with the already damaged android, sparks flying everywhere.

The humans looked on in horror as the peach colored robot fell to the floor, smoke and sparks coming out of it as it struggled to stand up. The giant black being floated toward the Gizoid, its eyes still soulless, but now, filled with rage. It was going to obliterate the little robot. And there was no way the android could defend itself.

"Gizoid, stop! You don't have to fight! Just... just stop..." the professor commanded solemnly. Everyone stopped and looked at Gerald, even the black aliens. The Gizoid managed to stand up fully, nodding in response to its master's order.

And for the first time since it arrived, the leader of the black creatures stopped.

Everyone was waiting on Gerald's next move.

The elderly man looked down at his granddaughter, she trembled with fear and confusion. He had only one move to make.

"Gizoid! Get Maria to the escape pods!" he called out. The Gizoid ran toward them and picked up Maria. Her hands still held onto Gerald's lab coat. She looked at him, searching his face for something.

"Gr- gr- grand- fa- father... Wh- what- what are you-?" she tried to string a question together, but after everything she had just witnessed, she was stunned. Mystified in the worst way. Her grandfather put a steadying hand on her cheek.

"Sweetie, you remember how to fly the escape pods, right? Remember I showed you how?" he asked, worried if the NIDS she suffered from had taken those memories from her.

"I- I- I remember- bu- but wha-?"

"Listen, Maria: you're going to put in the coordinates to Earth. You remember Earth? Our home planet? The coordinates are-"

"Grandfather, what ARE YOU DOING?!" she screamed.

"I am getting you as far away from this as possible. The coordinates for Earth are G59-780-PXQ. Gizoid, remember that for her and go. NOW" he commanded and the Gizoid obeyed. It whisked Maria to the exit, though the hulking monsters were in the way. But with swift movements, the robot dispatched them and got out of the laboratory. The frightened Maria screamed as the Gizoid moved her out of the room.

"GRANDFATHER!" she shouted before the door closed in her face. Gerald smiled sadly as the one thing that matter to him most left to safety.

On the other side of the door, the Gizoid ran to the other side of the hallway. It placed Maria on her feet, relaying the coordinates to her, patted her on the head, and opened the door. It jumped through and before Maria could follow after it, the robot smashed the door controls, shutting it for good. Everyone in the laboratory was trapped inside and everyone outside of the laboratory was free.

The damaged, peach colored robot ran to its master, both of them staring down the ominous monster floating before them.

" **That automaton is not going to catch me by surprise again, Gerald. Now if you want me to destroy your toy for good, I can do that...** "

The creature was communicating with him again. It sounded like it didn't want to fight, even though it was quite capable of defending itself. But that didn't matter, the Gizoid was back, and now he knew that it was capable of hurting it. And Gerald had finally fumbled around the gun and found the trigger. If he took a shot at the demon right now, he could probably damage it enough to give the Gizoid a chance to finish it off. Then it would just be a question of if the other gun toting monsters would kill his colleagues after their master was dead. Maybe they wouldn't if the Gizoid managed to subdue it into telling them to back off-

" **And if you want to try that scenario out, I can do that as well... but you and your toy can never destroy me...** "

Curse it, he forgot the alien could read his mind somehow.

" **So instead, why don't we talk about your project... your Ultimate Life Form...** "

Gerald froze.

The Ultimate Life Form.

Project Shadow.

How did it know about- it can read his mind, of course it knows about that. Of freaking course. Well there was no point keeping his thoughts to himself now, was it?

"What are you and why are you interested in our research?" he asked, tentatively. The large behemoth laughed darkly in his mind.

" **Why, I'm the person you called for help just a few moments ago...** "

"You're... you're from the... asteroid ship..." Gerald finally realized.

" **Yes... And I recall on your transmission you said that you came in peace... Clearly that wasn't true...** "

Gerald looked down in fear.

"I um... sorry... It's just you... you look..."

" **I am aware of how my people and I look to you Gerald... Which is why I'm able to forgive this blasphemous crime against me...** "

The black monster gestured his hand toward the robot at Gerald's side. Gerald could have been seeing things, but when he looked down at the Gizoid, it had an expression of disdain. But that wasn't possible.

"Wh- what are you and your people called?" Gerald inquired nervously.

" **We are the Black Arms... a race of planet conquering warriors... And I am their dark lord, Black Doom...** "

"Planet... conquerors? Dark lord? You're- you're tyrants?!"

" **No... we are saviors... We save worlds that are on the verge of self destruction... like Mobius, the planet you have been orbiting...** "

"Mo- Mobius? That's the name of the planet?"

" **Yes... And it is only a few years away from dying...** "

"Why would it be dying? It seems fine, we've been down there before, the readings are off the charts, it's basically the healthiest planet I've ever seen"

" **It would seem that way... but with my powers I can see into its future... and in its future the inhabitants will consume the resources and exhaust the planet completely** "

"Okay... but what does this have to do with me and my research?"

" **The Black Comet, our spacecraft, is unable to accelerate fast enough to get to the planet's surface. In order to get it there, we need the gems of power, the ones you have been researching, to teleport us down there. But they have a mystical barrier that keeps my people and I from touching them. But you do not have the same problems as we do...** "

"... You want me to get you the Chaos Emeralds..."

" **No... not yet... there would be no point... I told you I cannot use them...** "

"Well then what am I supposed to do about that?"

" **Your Ultimate Life Form, with my help, should be able to grant me access to the Chaos Emeralds, he'll be self aware, intelligent, and adaptable... very different from the other soldiers you see here...** "

"... I don't want to make a delivery boy for you, I want to save my granddaughter..."

" **I am aware... and with my DNA you should be able to save her, in time... And I will have my servant as well...** "

"... What's the catch?"

" **... You are referring to an Earth metaphor...** "

"Yeah and I want to know what's the bad side of this 'perfect plan' of yours?"

" **You don't trust me...** "

"I wouldn't be the smartest man on Earth if I did"

" **Why would I lie to you, Gerald?** "

"Why wouldn't you? From what I know about you, Black Doom, if that is your real name, is that you can read minds and you're extremely powerful. It wouldn't take much for you to take advantage of my memories, find everything I want in life, and promise me all of it. And I would be your willing slave and you would kill me before I get what you promised"

" **Yes... I could do that... but I am also aware that you are too smart to fall for something like that...** "

"Uh-huh, and how do I know that wasn't just a way for you to trick me into changing my mind about you trying to use me?"

" **I see you're going to need more proof...** "

"Yeah, I just might..."

" **We are simply trying to help doomed planets around the galaxy... that's all we want...** "

"Yes, yes, you said that before. Yet, I look around this room and see all of my people being held at gun point by all of your people. If you were trying to save planets, why do you need weapons?"

" **Those were just in case you weren't as peaceful as you said you were in your message...** "

"... okay, I'll give you that one. But that doesn't explain why you still have them on us now... What? Are you scared of us?"

" **I am lord of my people, worshiped by the planets I have saved, I come to you with peace and I'm attacked by your metal soldier, and yet still I am willing to work with you and you dare to question me?!** "

With reflexes that shouldn't be so sharp, the elderly professor aimed the gun at the shouting alien master and fired, energy bullets shot through him.

"NOW, GIZOID!"

Before anyone could react, the robot was right on the dark lord's reeling body, ready to hit it with everything it had. But as soon as the final blow could be struck, the black creature faded into a black mist. The Gizoid was absorbed by the black mist and short circuited. Gerald, confused as to what was going on, was taken by surprise when Black Doom reappeared behind him.

A subtle move of his scaly black hand and the gun flew out of Gerald's grasp, futilely the professor tried to retain his hold on it.

" **Clever, mortal... but I told you that couldn't destroy me...** "

Gerald turned to face him, the eyes piercing him all over again. He froze, it was another ability the being had. It had to be. Gerald couldn't have been this scared... could he?

" **I told you before Gerald Robotnik, I only wish to help you create the Ultimate Life Form, so that in time, I can have the Chaos Emeralds and save the planet below...** "

Gerald struggled to find the words. There was no way he could trust this monster.

" **YOU asked for MY help, Gerald. You said you had done all you can do, you said that e** **very possible thing, every possible angle, every possible path to take, you've done it. And it's not enough...** "

It was still in his head. The dark presence of the sinister Black Doom, was lounging in his mind. Like he had already made his place in the deepest recesses of his mind.

Like the black creature had tied puppet strings on his entire body. And there was no escape from them.

" **That sounds like a man without any options left... so do you want my assistance... or do you suddenly have another choice..?** "

And there it was. The Devil had offered an ultimatum: let the wonderful girl who would ultimately die on her own in a couple of months... or give him his soul.

The choice was obvious. As it had always been. Every time someone had come along to offer their assistance to help Maria, he would accept. No matter the consequences. The government, the other scientists, every time, he took the help and the risks that go with them. For one reason and one reason alone.

Maria was worth everything to him. Everything.

His world.

His freedom.

His life.

No price was too high to pay for her. So this... this was nothing new.

"... okay... I'll make you... a servant..." he whispered weakly.

He had been making deals with devils since his son died.

"Just... help me save her... You do that... and I'll do whatever you want..." Gerald finally found the strength to close his eyes. Even though the feeling of the monster was still in his head... the image of Maria gave him strength.

" **Then we're in agreement... When the Ultimate Life Form is completed... he will deliver the Chaos Emeralds to me... and I will save this world...** "

"Yes... Project Shadow will deliver the Chaos Emeralds to you... Now help me save my granddaughter..."

If the dark being had a mouth, Gerald was sure that it would be curled into the evilest of grins. Black Doom clenched his fist tightly, so hard that it began to shake. Gerald watched confused, but before he could ask what he was doing, he saw a fluid trickling out of his fist. A green, glowing liquid.

Was it... was it blood?

" **My blood carries all the necessary connections you require for your research, Professor Gerald... You are intelligent... this is more than enough for you to create the Ultimate Life Form...** "

Gerald moved to one of the desks, grabbed a non-shattered test tube, and caught as much green blood into the test tube as possible. Black Doom, allowed this and continued to bleed into the tube until it was filled to the brim. Gerald placed a top on the test tube and shakily put it into his pocket.

" **I will be in constant contact with this... Space Colony A.R.K., so I may assist you as the project develops...** "

"Fair enough... Black Doom..."

The dark lord turned toward the exit of the laboratory, the same exit that Maria had just gone out of. She was still on her way to the escape pods!

Gerald moved between Black Doom and the exit, the alien gun that was snatched away from him earlier was now in his hands once again. Determined, he aimed it right at Black Doom, his hands trembling, but his jaw set.

"DO... NOT... COME... NEAR... HER..." he threatened boldly. Black Doom laughed mockingly in his head.

" **If I wanted to hurt her, I would have done so when you gave her that little goodbye. And now that we're working together, why would I do the one thing that would make you want to break out arrangement..?** "

Gerald still held the gun up at the towering demon, his eyes fixed in a hateful stare. They stood there frozen, Black Doom, Gerald, and the many Black Arms soldiers aiming at Gerald.

" **I will not hurt the girl, Gerald... You have my word...** "

The professor slowly lowered the gun, giving it back to the black alien he stole it from, even mumbling an apology to it. Black Doom, opened the door with a wave of his hand, and as soon as the black creatures left the doorway, they slowly faded into nothing. Another of Black Doom's abilities. How many impossible things could that devil do?

The scientists that managed to keep their lives throughout the... "incident" that had just occurred, slowly found the courage to speak.

"Wh- wh- what do we do- now?" one of them asked. Gerald took out the vial of green blood and handed it to the researcher.

"You're going to analyze that, then once you catch me up to speed on its details, we're going to do some tests on it" he instructed as he moved to a different section of the laboratory, shuffling some things around on a desk.

"We- we- meant... what are we going to do about- that- that- black-"

"Don't worry about him, I'm already working on a contingency plan..." he interrupted the shellshocked scientist. Gerald pulled out some blueprint paper and folded it out on top of the now cleared desk.

"P- P- Professor, if the Gizoid- THE GIZOID- couldn't stop him... what could possibly-"

"He's a force of nature. A dark star, come to shine on us. So the only thing we can do... is to build a force of nature of our own..." Gerald said as he sketched on the big blueprint paper with a white pencil.

The A.R.K. researchers slowly stood to their feet, still traumatized by the experience. "Wh- wha- what do you-"

"How do you beat a star ladies and gentleman?" Gerald asked rhetorically, his sketching becoming more and more detailed. The fellow ARK scientists looked at each other confused.

"Simple, you eclipse it..." Gerald put the finishing touches on the sketch and pulled it off the table, displaying it to his colleagues. What they saw, was a rough schematic of a gun. No not a gun, that wasn't quite the right word.

"I CALL IT... THE ECLIPSE CANNON..."


	9. Chapter 9

The clacking of her cobalt shoes rushing down the metal hallway, the huffs of breath quickly cycling in and out of her frail lungs, the frightened beating of her panicked heart nearly numbing out the various other sounds she was making. She couldn't remember being this scared in all her life.

Pumping her arms as fast as her legs, sleeves awkwardly reeling up her arms, her hair trailing behind her worried face, each step slightly pushing those golden strands up and down. Her knees poking the white dress hanging like a flag as she pressed to keep her steps fast, but not uncontrollable. The last thing she wanted was to fall over and bust her face on the metal plating of the floor, but she wasn't really thinking about that. She only thought one thing.

She had to get away.

Her grandfather had instructed her, no, commanded her to get as far away from the ominous creatures as she could. As far away from the A.R.K. as she could. Now, Maria tried to get back in the room– she really did. But the Gizoid made sure that the door couldn't be opened from the outside. After gathering her frantic thoughts together, she realized how useless she would be in that situation.

What could she do? How could she help? Against that? Just looking at them made her barely able to breathe. She would only get in the way of the Gizoid, she would only be a hinderance... to everyone. So what could she do to help?

She could run.

She could go to Earth, make it to someone, anyone with an army or something, and they'll come and help the A.R.K. Help her grandfather. She was aware it wasn't the best plan in the galaxy, but she was too terrified to think up a better one.

Maria's body ghosted over a wall as a sharp turn came up, narrowly keeping herself from slamming into the steel. She was almost there, the escape pods were just a few more turns away. All she had to do was make it to the outer window of the A.R.K. and follow that curve to the escape pods.

Easy, she had done this multiple times with her Grandfather. To the point that she had timed out the trip to the escape pod room from this point. And it was about 2 minutes. Just 2 little minutes and she would be on her way to far, far away from the A.R.K. It didn't occur to her until she saw the door for the emergency escape pod room peering from the winding curve she traced herself on.

Maria was about to leave the A.R.K. Probably for good. She was going to visit a planet, experience real gravity and natural oxygen, the whole package. If she wasn't so scared that she was going to be attacked by a straggling black alien, she would have taken the moment to feel a little joyful.

But there was no room for that feeling. Not right now. Not while her grandfather's life and the entire A.R.K. staff's lives depended on her. Cobalt heels skidding clumsily to a stop, Maria's body nearly slammed against the metal door, as she jammed her fingers on the screen as hard and as fast as she possibly could to enter the magic words to get the callous slab of metal out of her way so she could get help.

Miraculously, the keypad obeyed her vigorous and frantic "typing" instead of breaking, allowing her access to the sanctuary with a fast woosh of the doors sliding up. The blonde girl ran to the control panel, began putting in the codes and coordinates necessary to free the compact glass ship from its station. Normally the NIDS that ravaged poor Maria's frail body would have these precious memorized passwords and numbers out of her reach. But with panicked focus, Maria was able to single out everything she needed to earn the right to escape this prison.

She hated to admit it, being the granddaughter of this giant colony's creator and all, but this ball of steel and wires was just... a cage to her. A cell, a giant lock on the window to the outside world. Maria had no memories of Earth, her home... her parents... this place had taken even those from her. And now this place was going to take her grandfather away from her.

"No" she thought adamantly to herself. "I won't let grandfather die... I won't let anyone die!" Maria lifted herself into the glass cylinder, making sure to double check that everything was ready to fly. Her face steeled, not at all letting on how scared she was inside. Because she didn't have time to be scared.

"Hang on, Grandfather! Everyone! I'm going to get help! Please survive until then!" she said to herself, slightly calming her nerves. Shaky fingers slowly reached for the launch button. This was it: Maria was about to leave her barely gilded cage. For good. Her fair skinned hands inched closer to the tantalizing button, the reason to why they shook unclear. Maybe it was the excitement of getting off the A.R.K. Maybe it was the very real fear that something was about to go wrong. Maybe it was something else entirely, all she knew right now was... she needed and wanted to press that button and leave this place.

And as her index finger lightly met the surface of the freedom button, she nearly smiled. A genuine, hopeful smile.

"MARIA! MARIA, ARE YOU STILL HERE?!" Gerald's panicked voice blasted through the speakers on the ceiling of the escape pod, jolting Maria into pulling her hand back from the launch button. She yelped in terror at the sudden noise, but after a few deep breaths, she regained her composure.

"MARIA?! CAN YOU HEAR ME, MY DEAR?!" Gerald called out, panic clear in his tone. Maria frantically looked for the button to push in the pod to respond. She didn't want him to get so worried, not when his own life was in danger. Thin, light fingers thankfully found the desired button and quickly pressed it.

"Grandfather, I'm here! I can hear you! Are you alright?!" Maria nearly sobbed out. In response, Gerald let out a sigh of relief so pleasant, it seemed the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Oh thank God! Thank God you're alright. Maria, I don't know what I would have done if you were gone" the senior spoke genuinely thankful. It was true, he had no idea what he would have done if she had been gone or hurt in any way.

"I'm fine, Grandfather! Really! What happened, are you alright? Did something worse happen?!" Maria couldn't help panicking, she was still so clueless about what was really going on.

"No honey. The worse is over. Everyone is alright, no one was killed by the... the black creatures... they're gone... We survived..." he sighed, more calm than he had been all day it seemed. Maria copied her grandfather's sigh of relief and slumped down the glass container she was still in, hitting the bottom of the pod with her bottom. Thank God grandfather was alright. Thank God everyone was spared. And thank God they would never have to see those monsters again.

After a moment of trying to wind down from the sheer terror that pushed Maria's body to its limits, her grandfather, in the middle of telling Maria almost all of what transpired when she left, mentioned something to the golden haired girl, "You can come back now, Maria. Everything is safe now"

Maria had quickly forgotten where she was. Okay, she knew she was still home, at the A.R.K. But she didn't know what room she was in. She kind of forgot for a moment. A fleeting moment. She realized what had happened; she lost her only chance to leave this place behind. And while she was hopelessly ecstatic and elated that her grandfather was unharmed, she didn't like the idea of her single chance to leave the A.R.K. slipping through her fingers. Right as her fingers were about to launch her into space. Away from the A.R.K.

She was about to climb out of her locked window of a life, breathe in the outdoors, experience dirt under her shoes, wind in her hair, clouds in a sky... but the window just slammed shut. Maybe even for good. And that hurt.

That... really hurt. A tangible pain rippled through Maria's skull. All of a sudden the fair skinned girl felt the effects of running for your life for a long period of time with her unique illness. She was aching all over, but especially her head. Things were getting a bit fuzzy too.

Grunting lightly, Maria pushed herself back up to her feet and reached out to the talking button. "Grandfather I... I... don't feel... right..." she spoke barely hiding her pain. Her knees were wobbling now, struggling to keep her upright.

"Maria? What's wrong?! Maria!?" she hardly made out on the other end of the communication. Maria suddenly found the room she was in tilting steadily to one side, in response she leaned in the opposite direction to keep from falling. The intensity of the pain pulsing through her increased instantly when she did.

"Grand... father... it... it... hurts..." she breathed heavily, her face scrunched in an uncomfortable grimace. She felt like there was a rock growing in the base of her brain, slowly but painfully pushing her brain to the outer edges of her skull. Her limbs felt weaker than wet paper, even though she tried to use the walls of the escape pod to sustain herself, her limbs just couldn't hold her weight.

"MARIA?! MARIAAAA! WHAT'S HAPPENING!? WHAT'S WRONG?! MARIAAA! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Gerald's panic had returned tenfold, evident by his screaming. But even the panicked screams of her grandfather were deafened by the sudden ringing in her ears. The piercing, painful tone made the rock growing in her brain shake and rumble, elevating her pain to new, undesired heights. The sickly girl tried to speak to her grandfather again, but she could only groan out in pain.

As quickly as this all started, Maria lost her legs and her balance, sliding to the floor of the glass case she put herself in. Questions of what was happening to her surfaced only for a moment before everything faded from her mind. Her vision, her voice, her thoughts... within moments... everything went black...

Gerald's feet hit the metal floors rapidly as he ran to save Maria. She had suddenly stopped talking after telling him she was in pain and Gerald was freaking out. He was sure his blood pressure had risen to historical heights. What was happening to her now? Why was something always happening to her?! What did she ever do to deserve any of this?!

As Gerald slammed into the curve of the outer window, he realized what the cause of his granddaughter's sudden distress was. NIDS. It was her incurable disease acting up. Great, just perfect. What a perfect time for it to throw a tantrum. It hadn't caused much of a fuss for the past year or two, so he supposed it was due for a routine fit.

But this wasn't making him feel any better. Ever since he found a way to sustain her 4 years ago, she had a couple of episodes here and there, but it was nothing the A.R.K. doctors and nurses couldn't handle. A couple of days in the infirmary and she was good as new. But there was never a moment that Gerald thought it would stay that easy forever. Nothing they went through... was ever that easy...

A couple halting steps, a swift code input, and the woosh of an opening door, and Gerald was looking down at Maria, trapped in the escape pod. Quicker than he should have been able to, he got to the control panel and pulled a lever to open the glass door of the escape pod. The elderly man slid on the floor to Maria, who was now lying before him... still as a statue...

"Maria?! Maria, can you hear me?!" he called out to her, noticeably more quiet than he was over the speakers. Trembling, wrinkled hands searched for a pulse on her wrists and throat, hoping to find a sign of life. Small rhythmic thumps under her skin were his answer. He dared not sigh in relief just yet though. Gerald still had to get her up and to the medical bay and he had to do it quick. Much to his surprise, the door opened behind him, revealing the medical researchers and nurses entering the room.

"She's unresponsive, her breathing is shallow, and I think she might be sweating all the moisture in her body out! When's the exact time she took her medicine last?!" he asked in a hurry. The medical staff that wasn't carrying Maria out of the room and checking on her other vitals as they left the room, were silent. Their faces laced with shame.

"Well?! When did you give her the medicine today?!" he asked, louder and angrier than before. The doctors looked at the nurses and the nurses looked among themselves, nervously trying to find words. One of the nurses finally spoke up.

"She took her morning doses... and that's all..." Gerald's eyes widened in shock. His jaw clenched down tight as the temperature of his body rose.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THAT'S ALL?! SHE'S SUPPOSED TO TAKE THE MEDICINE 4 TIMES A DAY!" he shouted at them. They all recoiled in fear.

"SHE ONLY TOOK HER MORNING DOSAGE, SO SHE HASN'T HAD MEDICINE IN 8 HOURS?! WHAT WERE YOU DOING ALL THAT TIME!?" he screamed, holding up one of the doctors by their collar.

"We- we- we didn't find her in her room-"

"SO YOU JUST SAID, 'FORGET IT, SHE'LL BE ALRIGHT! IT'S NOT LIKE SHE HAS A TERMINAL DISEASE OR ANYTHING'!? YOU BLITHERING IDIOTS, SHE COULD DIE WITHOUT THIS MEDICINE! YOU'VE BEEN HER DOCTORS FOR 4 YEARS NOW, AREN'T YOU COMPETENT ENOUGH TO REALIZE JUST HOW CLOSE TO DEATH SHE IS?!" shouted Gerald as he threw the doctor to the ground and pushed a few nurses out of his way. They all trailed behind him as he followed the medical staff carrying Maria down the hall.

"P- P- Professor- we are so- sorry"

"We looked for her- we did- but we couldn't find her-"

"She- she- snuck out- and actively hid from us-" They all made excuses and begged for forgiveness. But Gerald wasn't hearing any of it.

"And you didn't ATTEMPT to tell me that my sick granddaughter was roaming around the A.R.K. unsupervised?! You didn't call, you didn't make an announcement, NOTHING! YOU JUST LET HER LEAVE HER MEDICINE BEHIND!"

"... We- we- we didn't- didn't think-"

"NO! YOU DIDN'T THINK! I SHOULD HAVE LET THOSE MONSTERS KILL YOU FOR PUTTING HER LIFE IN DANGER LIKE THIS!" Gerald spat out bitterly. How dare they allow this to happen to Maria. How dare they! They were going to pay for this, Gerald made a promise to himself. They were going to pay.

"P- P- Professor-"

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" he commanded violently, causing the other medical staffers to hurriedly scatter away from him. Gerald silently fumed on their way back to the medical bay, the entire time he never took his eyes off of Maria. She laid unconscious for the remainder of the trip, even when they finally got to the medical bay and the rest of the doctors and nurses poked and prodded her with needles and all other medical utensils, she remained motionless.

Maria was unconscious in the hospital bed for days and Gerald stayed with her for nearly every minute of those days. Just waiting for her to open her eyes, to speak his name, something. And unfortunately, for several of those days she was paralyzed in that bed. Gerald had to hold meetings in the Infirmary, even having equipment brought to him from the labs so he could continue working. His researchers and assistants had to run between the Infirmary and the Project Shadow Laboratories dozens of times a day to keep him posted on production.

But finally, Maria woke up from her comatose state, relieving Gerald and by extension, the entire A.R.K. Gerald hugged her as soon as she sat up, the medical staff and the scientist left them to have their moment alone.

"Oh thank God you're alright... I was so worried Maria..." he told her, happily embracing her to his chest.

"... I'm sorry I worried you..." she apologized solemnly. Gerald released her from his hold and looked her in her crystal blue eyes seriously. He knew after talking with security that Maria indeed snuck away from the medical staff and wandered around the A.R.K. without her medicine. He knew she had purposefully not taken her medication but he didn't know why. What was she thinking, she had never done anything so risky before, why did she start now?

"Maria... do you know why you're here?" he asked. Maria placed her hand on her cheek as she searched her mind for an answer. The NIDS had a way of making it hard for her to hold onto memories, so he wasn't sure if she remembered what happened on that fateful day. If he was going to scold her about her errors in judgement, she had to remember the errors first.

"Mmmmmm... I remember... The monsters!" Maria suddenly shouted. She scrambled to get out of the bed and immediately regretted it, the pain shooting through her limbs made her slump back into Gerald's arms. The old man quickly held onto her as gently as possible and spoke calming phrases to settle her down.

"They're gone, they're gone, there's no more monsters. I got rid of them, they're not going to hurt you. They've been gone for days" Maria stopped panicking and looked up at Gerald, a question written on her face.

"You've been unconscious for 3 days, Maria" Gerald sighed sadly. He rubbed the side of his head, clearly exhausted. Maria just stared into space at the news, her grandfather leaning back in his chair as she continued to piece together the rest of the events of that day. Flashes of her going through multiple rooms in the A.R.K., riding on the lift, getting in the escape pod, and... fade to black.

The two sat in uncomfortable silence, not really knowing how to continue the strained conversation that was inevitable to start with the next words that came from either of their mouths. The professor didn't really know how to handle this situation. It was unique, quite frankly, Maria never acted out. She never "disobeyed" instruction, she never "got in trouble", she never "engaged in mischief". Maria was the best kid in the world, she was kind and sweet, polite and respectable. But this... what she did was so... unlike her. And like it or not, Gerald needed to talk some sense into her.

"Well, here goes nothing..." Gerald reluctantly thought to himself. He leaned his elbows on his knees and laced his fingers together in front of his face. After a beat, he looked up at Maria, his angel, and proceeded to scold her.

"... What were you thinking Maria?" the question shook Maria's heart. It sounded like her grandfather... was disappointed in her. He had never... been disappointed in her before... Wide blue eyes averted their nervous gaze to a chair across the room, away from Gerald's inquiring face.

"Maria... why did you avoid the nurses and doctors? Why- why didn't you take your medicine?" he questioned again, noticing the way his fair skinned granddaughter tensed her face slightly at the words. She tentatively peeked at him, before quickly averting her attention back to the unappealing chair across from her. She couldn't fathom how to deal with this, it was uncharted territory for them.

Gerald looked at her, trying to understand why she wouldn't just answer him. Did she think he LIKED talking like this to her? Did she think he WANTED to have this conversation? Gerald didn't like this anymore than her, but he knew it needed to happen. She almost died... they needed to address the events that led to that.

In a tone that surprised himself, Gerald spoke sternly, "Young lady, look at me when I'm talking to you..."

Maria's eyes widened at his slightly harsh tone and slowly turned to look at him, her expression pained and shameful. It broke his heart to see her like this. God, this was hard; he just wanted to drop the whole thing and hold her in his arms. But this had to be done. She had to learn that what she did was not smart.

"... Maria... talk to me... Just tell me why you ran off..." he said, tone more gentle than before. Maria couldn't keep her composure anymore. Fat, wet tears dropped down her face as she sniffled pitifully. She didn't want to tell him how she was feeling, she didn't want to say something to hurt him. But he was demanding the truth... and she couldn't lie to him. So Maria opened her mouth and explained herself.

"Grandfather... I'm so tired of being sick..."

Gerald's heart stopped for a moment. He unconsciously sat up a little, his brow furrowing in sadness, behind his glasses tears were welling up. Oh no...

"I'm sorry... I know you're doing everything you can... I know that all of this is for me... but I don't like this place..." Maria sobbed out, wiping her face with her arms as she spoke. Her sniffles got louder and she began shaking just a bit from all the emotion. Gerald tried his best to steel himself from crying right along with her and to his surprise it was working. It sounded like she had a lot to get off of her chest and more than anything, he wanted to be the one she could tell all her problems to.

"I feel like... Like a prisoner... I can't do anything... There's no kids here to be friends with... I'm constantly taking medicine and injections... I just... I hate it here!" she choked out before her sobbing grew to bawling. Gerald bit his lower lip and gripped his hands together tightly, hoping the pressure would keep him from cracking from the pressure. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, not having his heart break into a million pieces right then and there. She wailed and sniffed through tears that wet the blanket over her legs.

"I'm so sorry, Grandfather! I shouldn't feel this way! I sound so ungrateful! But I'm not, I'm so grateful that you've done all of this for me! But I... I want to go to the planet... I want to live a real life! I... I... I just..." she couldn't string words together anymore, her sadness engulfing her tiny body as she buried her face in her hands.

And that was when Gerald lost his inner battle of control and wrapped his arms around his little girl. He didn't care that he was crying like a baby now too, he just needed to hold her. He just wanted to make her feel better, he just wanted her tears to stop. She was breaking and he had to put her back together. And that's why she ran off. He wasn't there for her anymore, she needed attention and he wasn't giving it to her! Of all the stupid mistakes he's made, making Maria feel like this... it was the worst thing he'd ever done.

Maria clung to Gerald's lab coat and slightly pulled and pushed the fabric between sobs. For a long while all they did was cry in each others arms, just needing to release the built up tension and emotion that they didn't even realize was bubbling over until now. Their cries echoed through the Infirmary for close to 20 minutes, but it felt like days to them. When Maria had died down her loud bawling to low whines and hiccups, Gerald lifted himself a little from her, not leaving her grasp, but allowing space for them to finish talking.

"I'm sorry... I'm so- so- sorry..." she whimpered out defeated. Gerald hushed her gently and wiped her cheeks with his wrinkled thumbs.

"It's okay sweetie... I'm not mad... I just... wanted to know why..." he whispered warmly. He cupped his hand around her soft, rosy cheek and she leaned her head into the comforting touch. Maria's eyes closed as she continued to speak.

"... That's not the only reason... I didn't take the medicine..." she sighed quietly. Gerald waited for her to continue, his hand lightly caressing her now dried cheek. The girl gathered her strength to finish. She had never told anyone this and the last person she thought she would tell was her grandfather. But she knew now... that he needed to know the whole truth about what she's been feeling. No matter how difficult it would be to explain.

"Grandfather... I hate myself..."

The silence that followed carried the weight of the entire A.R.K. with it. Gerald stopped caressing her cheek. He pulled away even further to look at her more clearly, the shock apparent on his face. Maria let the silence hang in the air for a moment before she explained herself.

"I hate being like this... being sick... I'm such a bother to take care of... I hinder your work... I'm the reason everyone here is miserable and always working... I'm so sick and weak and... I can't go to the planet because of it... and that upsets me..." she spoke honestly and it truly scared Gerald at how clearly she was able to convey these feelings. His angel had been through a lot, most definitely, but... he never thought of her taking the blame for everything that happened to her.

"Why can't I act... like a normal girl..? Why do I need to be watched and waited on hand and foot..? When am I going to be able to... stand on my own and not have everyone worried to death about me..? When am I going to be well enough to go down there and see the world?" Maria questioned, looking down at her hands resting in her lap. She didn't like talking about this. Talking about herself. It made her feel like she was pretentious and self obsessed. But her grandfather wanted her to talk, so she talked.

"I thought... I thought if I could prove that I can do things without the medicine... that I could survive a day without being watched over... maybe everyone could stop worrying... you could stop stressing over me... I know you're still looking for a cure, and I believe you'll find one... but if I wasn't so sick... maybe you wouldn't have to be so focused on me and you could focus on yourself more..." Maria glanced up at Gerald, his hands now covering his mouth in horror of her words.

"I just... I hate that I'm... so weak... I feel... useless and frail... it makes me... so mad at myself, I can't think straight..." she lowered her head back down to look at her hands, then gripped them together. Maria's expression was no longer that of complete sadness, what was on her face now was a distant, bitter stare. An expression that didn't belong on a child's face, let alone Gerald's beloved granddaughter.

Once again, silence had filled the space between them, mainly because Gerald was frozen in place. Her words petrified him, shook him to his core. How on Earth did Maria think this way about herself? How?! It was impossible! She was Maria, for crying out loud! She was an angel, a miracle, a wonderful and incredible girl! She was the personification of good! She was everything right with the universe, she made horrible days fantastic with nothing but her smile! She was his angel! How could she think so low of herself when she had done so much for him?

Gerald couldn't allow this. He physically couldn't allow this to continue. He was going to set her straight right here, right now. Determined hands returned to the golden haired girl's dejected face, as Gerald closed the space between them, tears falling slowly from his eyes.

"Maria, look at me baby..." he said gently, trying not to get choked up. The somber Maria obeyed and slowly lifted her gaze to Gerald's face. They looked each other in the eye as he continued.

"There is NOTHING to hate about you... You are the bravest, most selfless, most thoughtful and kindest person that I have ever known... You are perfection, do you hear me? Don't you EVER get the idea that you're weak or useless" Gerald's voice cracked multiple times, but conviction spewed from his lips, convincing Maria, just slightly to ease her self loathing thoughts.

"It wouldn't matter if you were the healthiest kid in the universe, I worry about you because I love you. Worrying about someone isn't wrong. You worry about me, right?" Gerald asked, knowing Maria's response. Maria nodded her head gingerly in his grasp.

"Okay, and you don't feel bad for worrying about me, do you?" he asked again, Maria shook her head gingerly in his grasp.

"Alright then, the same goes for me worrying about you. I'm sorry I make you feel like a prisoner here, that was never my intention. I'm just worried about you and I'm always going to worry about you, no matter what. Because that's what you do when you love someone, understand?" he spoke softly, needing her to know how much he loved her.

"..." she couldn't speak, her mouth was failing her at the moment. But the tears welling up in her eyes told the old man that he was striking a cord. His hands shifted to her shoulders and his warmth entered into her, soothing her colder skin. Gerald lowered his forehead to kiss hers, keeping the eye contact they had established.

"... I promise, I WILL cure you, Maria... every moment spent on this space colony is to fulfill that promise... I just need you to be a little more patient... You aren't a burden, you are my life's work. You are the single most important person in my life and don't you ever forget it, sweetie" he commanded her with all the love in his heart. Maria, finally letting her expression change, smiled at him gratefully. She gently moved her head from his to grab his torso again, in a soft hug. Gerald rested his cheek on the top of her golden locks as he returned the hug in a firm grip.

"... I love you, Grandfather" Maria breathed into the crook of his neck, happy tears staining his lab coat collar. He rubbed soothing circles on her upper back, before responding in earnest.

"I love you too Maria..." They held each other in comfortable silence for the first time since the uncomfortable conversation started. The two just stayed in their bubble of love, both of them needing it after such a wild turn of events. The Black Arms, Black Doom nearly destroying the Gizoid, Maria's coma; they needed a moment just to count their blessings.

"I know you're going to cure me... I've never stopped believing in you..." Maria said, breaking the silence. She didn't want Gerald to think she didn't believe in him. Even though she suffered with the illness everyday and it seemed like Gerald was working on other things, she knew her grandfather was doing everything he could to save her. She always knew. And she was always thankful for that.

"That's right, angel... If it's the last thing I do... I'm gonna fix you..." Gerald said more to himself than to Maria. He had been through so much, SO MUCH, all in the efforts to save Maria. And he was so close, he could practically taste it. He was almost where he needed to be to cure Maria of her NIDS. All he had to do was use the DNA from Black Doom with the research he'd already done.

Which reminded him, he would have to tell Maria about the deal he made with Black Doom so she wouldn't have a heart attack when the demon would ultimately return to the A.R.K. He had no idea when he would be returning, but he had to make sure he had something to show him so he wouldn't kill anyone. And of course, he had to be sure to think about everything other than the Eclipse Cannon when Black Doom arrives because the monster can read minds. And if he found out that Gerald was planning on making a weapon that could kill him and his entire race... that would not end well.

It was incredibly risky, making that deal. But Gerald had his mind made up before he left home. He was going to save Maria. No matter the danger, no matter how long it took, no matter how much resources he had to use.

No matter what he would have to do... he was going to save her...

* * *

 **Soooo, did everybody remember that Maria had a terminal disease? :D I'm so sorry if this depressed anyone... onlynotreally XDDDD**

 **Yeah, this one was more of a reaction chapter to the crazy events of the past few parts. The characters need a moment to discuss some underlaying problems from the previous parts as well. Maria has been quietly suffering this whole time and harboring all of those negative emotions made her act out at the worst time possible. And when she gets herself so worked up without taking her meds, her illness knocks her out. Poor baby.**

 **Gerald is the best grandpa in the world, by the way. I just wanted to make that clear. Basically, I wanted a moment for Maria to clear the air with him, make him understand that she is a good kid and a wonderful girl, but she's still dealing with the baggage that comes with being terminally ill and being cooped up on the A.R.K. isn't helping matters. And huggles are the cure for any sads. XDDD**

 **I hope this wasn't too melodramatic for you guys, I really wasn't trying to force any drama to happen, just using underlying issues from previous chapters to surface and be dealt with. Maria was looking a little TOO perfect there, I had to give her a plausible flaw and errors in judgement to keep the Mary Sue police from knocking down my door. So hopefully, I didn't disrupt Maria's character too bad with this. ^^U**

 **Because really, canon game Maria (and probably comics and cartoon adaption Maria too) is sort of... a very soft and not annoying at all... but slightly Mary Sue-ish. Think about it: does she display any errors in judgement, does she have any flaws or is she painted as this perfect being, does she inexplicably drive the narrative despite not having an active roll in the games, does she get romanticized by characters and fans alike?**

 **If the answer to these questions are mostly yes, she's a Mary Sue-ish character. Now I love her– hence this entire fan fic centered around her– but when I see a Mary Sue in my story, I gotta do something to rectify that. I think I did okay with avoiding that, self loathing is a huge flaw, I have it, so I would know.**


	10. Chapter 10

The A.R.K. was much different after the Black Arms invasion and little Maria's episode shortly after. For starters, the entire colony was in overtime; researchers and scientist were scrambling to produce something for their superiors back home, who were demanding results more sternly than before, and their newly acquired "research partner", Black Doom. His dark spaceship was parked right next to the Space Colony A.R.K., clearly visible when anyone looked out of the A.R.K.'s windows. That presence of the dangerous terrifying Black Doom, put everyone on constant edge.

And his impromptu visits to the Project: Shadow research facilities were not helping matters. Every time Black Doom would just materialize in the A.R.K., the surrounding ordinary men and women would quite literally have heart attacks. Gerald himself nearly jumped out of his skin when he suddenly heard Black Doom's voice invading his head without warning.

Which was a most dangerous situation to be in, to be sure. The Eclipse Cannon was always on his mind, the production of which, was going fairly slowly. But to have the weapon specially made to destroy the dark tyrant in his mind constantly was deathly hazardous to the old man, for his mind was no longer a private secure location for information. Black Doom's psychic abilities meant that Gerald would always be in danger of the black creature eventually finding the phrase, Eclipse Cannon floating in his brain. And if Black Doom pulls on that string, he'll unravel the entire ball of yarn before Gerald even has a chance to make the thing.

Not only that, but the colleagues he had working on it were in danger as well, Gerald could barely guard his thoughts from Black Doom, how could he expect all of them to be as quick thinking as himself? And how is he to know Black Doom wouldn't read their minds without warning and kill all of them?

Needless to say, the levels of stress were quite high for the unfortunate workers of the A.R.K. No one was really sleeping well, no one really ate well either, and this left their working... less than perfect. Weeks and weeks of this went by, with Black Doom checking in at the beginning and end of every week. Like a vindictive landlord who had it out for a tenant he knew was not making enough money to pay rent.

And Gerald was unfortunately that poor tenant. It took him these few weeks of absolute hell to get the courage to bargain with the demonic lord of psychic horror. The white mustached man picked a day before the towering black atrocity would pop in. He locked himself in his office, had the newly repaired Gizoid on standby, and prepped his radio to contact the Black Comet looming outside of the A.R.K.

With tentative, almost hyperventilating breaths, the bald senior opened his mouth, pushed the talk button on his desk radio, and spoke.

"B- B- B- Black- D- D- Doom?" Gerald pathetically called out. He grunted in angry displeasure of his inability to speak with the monster. He had managed to speak to him fine when he was literally threatening his and Maria's safety, why couldn't he do it now? Perhaps it was the knowledge of what he could do and how powerless Gerald was to stop him. Maybe it was just his age catching up with him.

Regardless, Gerald settled his wrinkled jaw, clenched his hands on his knees, and tried again.

"B- Black Doom, I know y- you can hear me. We need to talk about this sit-situation that you've put me and the A.R.K. in" he pushed the words out, despite their resistance. After a moment of listening to the white noise on the other end of the radio, Gerald was less than shocked that Black Doom phased right into existence in his office. The colossal creature floated just inches above the ground as he stared into Gerald's soul.

Mustn't think about anything. Mustn't think about anything. Mustn't think about anything at all. He knew he was reading his thoughts. Gerald wanted to have this conversation-

"- out loud" Gerald spoke, staring right back at Black Doom's oddly wrinkled face. Though he was careful not to look the monster directly in his bloodshot eyes. None of the 3. A deep rumble echoed in Gerald's ears. Black Doom was laughing. He found him to be something of a joke. That was the creature's second biggest mistake. The first? Daring to even attempt to touch Maria with those grotesque claw tipped things it called hands.

" **Very well, Professor Gerald... We may discuss Project Shadow's progression...** " the booming voice of the dark lord reverberated off the walls. Gerald cleared his throat, wiping nervous sweat from his brow before he continued. No matter what he said, the dark alien was petrifying, his power still mysteriously vast to Gerald. He would have to choose his words carefully.

"Well... the progress on Project Shadow has been promising... finally... thanks to you, Black Doom" Black Doom's sinister chuckle echoed in Gerald's brain once more. Hmph, the same as any other tyrant: prideful to a fault. Gerald cleared his throat louder this time before continuing.

"Yes, things are moving forward... however... your presence here has made progress... slow..." Gerald gritted his teeth after speaking, not really knowing how Black Doom would take that bit of information. To his horror, Black Doom was silent for several moments. He no longer found this conversation amusing. Seeing as the black creature wasn't going to break the silence, Gerald did.

"I- I- It's not that we don't welcome you and your people to our humble space colony... it's just..." Gerald put a hand on the back of his neck and rubbed nervously, hoping his life wouldn't be ended when he finished speaking.

"... You scare everyone" the white mustached man choked out. Black Doom remained silent and still for several minutes after Gerald finished his sentence. The poor old man's heart was beating against his ribs like an insane criminal trying to break free of his prison bars. God this was unnerving. Was he about to die? Was he about to be tortured? Was he... was he going to be forced to watch this monster hurt all of the people on the A.R.K.?

... Was he going to be forced to watch Maria die?

Before he could even fully wander down that horrid possible turn of events, Black Doom loomed closer to Gerald. The Gizoid moved between the impending threat and its master, determination clear in its stance. Gerald backed as far as he could from Black Doom, meeting an unforgiving metal wall cutting him short of even the slightest bit of comfort. The demon entered his and the Gizoid's personal space and it seemed like this was the end.

But Black Doom managed to catch him off guard and laughed terribly in his ears, causing the shooting pain of a migraine to manifest in Gerald's brain.

" **Yes of course, that explains everything... You humans are unable to comprehend my glorious presence gracing you sporadically... I understand now, Professor Gerald...** " he reasoned out loud. Gerald nearly breathed a sigh of relief, but his breath remained hitched in his lungs. He knew he wasn't out of the woods until he could get Black Doom to leave and never come back.

"Y-y- yes... that's exactly... what our problem is. We get so nervous and scared of you and your powerful people that we... we can't function at full capacity. S- So, B- Black Doom... I humbly ask that you... maybe... consider... waiting for my call to come aboard... so that we may... prepare ourselves for your... radiance..?" Gerald groveled weakly to the dark monster, hoping and praying Black Doom's vanity would allow him to diminish the hellish waking nightmare that was Black Doom constantly being in mind reading shot of him and the other A.R.K. scientists.

" **Well, since I have been praised by you so highly... I will grant this request, Professor Gerald...** "

A loud breath of relief escaped the shaking senior's mouth in a wonderful light type of laugh. He did. He managed to keep the monster at bay, for a long time. Maybe even a year! The thought of a year away from Black Doom's scrutinizing and, frankly, painful gaze was like a prayer was answered. They could work on all of their projects in peace, finally.

" **HOWEVER...** " the monstrous deep voice rattled the old man's skull, causing him to reel back and nearly hit his head on the wall.

" **Know this, Professor Gerald Robotnik...** " the dark lord raised his inky black hand, raising the Gizoid to the ceiling quickly, incapacitating the small sliver of protection that the pitifully frightened human had. Black Doom resumed his intrusion of Gerald's personal space.

" **This weapon you are developing... This 'Eclipse Cannon'** "

OH NO.

PLEASE GOD NO.

How did he know about the Eclipse Cannon?! The panicking Gerald swore he hadn't thought of it once in Black Doom's presence and he ordered his staff to alert him immediately when they so much as ASSUMED they COULD HAVE thought about the Eclipse Cannon during Black Doom's visits. This- this- this was impossible-

" **... it can never destroy me...** " Gerald was broken out of his spiral of disbelief and despair, his body quivering weakly under the shadow of Black Doom. As far as Gerald was concerned, the shadow of death itself.

" **Nothing you create can destroy me... I am Black Doom, Dark Lord of the Black Arms, and Ruler of the Cosmos...** " an indescribable pressure pushed Gerald into the metal wall, deeper than normally possible. Almost as if gravity had suddenly changed its direction from pulling down to pushing Gerald's entire body backwards. How could this monster be so powerful?!

" **If it makes you feel better, create your Eclipse Cannon... but the Ultimate Lifeform's creation must not be delayed for such a trivial pursuit... do not waste the time and patience I have graced you with, weak human...** " As soon as the sinister alien called Gerald a weak human, the pressure was alleviated, allowing the frail and frightened old man to gasp and cough in pain. His knees meet the metal flooring quickly, his entire upper body following suit. Drips of crimson leaked onto the floor with each painful wheeze and cough Gerald uttered. Pain. All he could register was pain right now.

Black Doom turned his back to the reeling professor and slowly began to fade into the shadows of the room. Gerald weakly looked back up at the powerful black creature, his position on the ground and Black Doom's hovering above him a physical representation of just how elevated the ebony creature was from him. From anything that Gerald had ever encountered. Just before Black Doom faded from sight completely, he turned his head to the side and shot the weak and kneeling professor a soul chilling stare. A stare that poor Gerald looked directly into.

" **You will radio in every 1,176 hours to give progress reports and I will promise to give you humans your 'space' to work at maximum capacity. Once Project Shadow is ready to be awakened, you will alert me immediately. DO NOT KEEP ME WAITING LONGER THAN NECESSARY, PROFESSOR GERALD ROBOTNIK...** " and with that, he was gone, without a trace. Save the damage to Gerald's body and the Gizoid, who just so happened to drop right in front of the bleeding old man as soon as Black Doom had left completely. It looked at Gerald's face and tenderly tried to get him back on his feet. It took several tries, but Gerald was back on his feet.

Absentmindedly placing his hand on the wall he was just pressed into ruthlessly, he felt his hand going farther back than it should have. Gerald looked up and an indent as deep as 6 or 7 inches stared back at him. Good Lord, that pressure had to have been close to 60 pounds of force. And what's worse, it wasn't in his head, it was real. That was just another sample of Black Doom's power... and Gerald was really glad he wouldn't have to deal with such power for a long stretch of time.

Unfortunately this reprieve was short lived, when another A.R.K. benefactor became impatient with the A.R.K.'s progress. But this threat, unlike the Black Doom and the Black Arms, was not in eyesight. It was lightyears away, and it was a threat Gerald was already familiar with: Earth. The people of Earth were getting restless, after years of excuses and eventual ignoring from the A.R.K., the government was more than ready to take drastic measures.

Fortunately, the A.R.K. employee in charge of communication between Earth and the space colony, went through all of the messages left by their superiors and brought the news of their drastic measures to Gerald directly. It was almost time for the government to make an impromptu visit to the A.R.K., with armed military soldiers as their visiting party.

Gerald went into a panic, scrambling to make up for lost time, taking ideas from anyone who could speak and running with them. Before the military touched down, they had to have something to show. It had been years since Project Shadow was launched and they had next to nothing to show for it. Of course they had a few things: the Artificial Chaos, the Chaos Drives, the Biolizard's giant life support system, he had even made some blueprints of some robotic copies of the Gizoid. But that was it. Four things were the product of 7 years orbiting a planet full of resources and possibilities. That wasn't going to be acceptable for the massive group of gun-toting, angry men coming for him.

So ideas were thrown out and run with, including weapons. Anything that could stave off any punishment would work. The A.R.K. was divided into groups based on the many ideas, there were chemical researchers, medical researchers, robotics researchers, weapon researchers, metallurgy researchers, radioactivity researchers, and many subdivisions of those groups. Gerald had to make it seem like they were a complex, fine-tuned machine working at maximum capacity.

During this small window of opportunity, the A.R.K. scientists and professors really shined. They pulled off very difficult and nearly impossible projects with just enough time left over to actually eat and sleep. It might have been because they were finally free from Black Doom's constant hovering, or it might have been the way Gerald relied on them so heavily for the first time in years. Either way, they were successful in making a lot of "products" for their employers to be distracted with.

The favorite of these products had to be the revolutionary Heal Unit. Gerald worked with the medical scientists directly to produce the incredible invention. It was a portable box-like device that could send out low doses of chaos energy, causing the damaged area's cells to hyper regenerate for a short period of time. It was amazing! Doctors have been trying to make drugs like this for thousands of years with absolutely no success, but Gerald and his scientists managed to throw it together last minute. Indeed, the greatest minds of Earth were aboard the A.R.K.

Within a few days of finishing the Heal Unit, the A.R.K. received an incoming transmission commanding everyone aboard the A.R.K. to prepare to receive them. The Docking Bays 1 through 47 were crammed with military spacecrafts, soldiers pouring out of them like an overturned water bucket. Weapons were aimed at the scientists and Maria, who was securely covered by Gerald's body. The soldiers grunted and yelled while chaotically organizing into two separate forms leaving an opening between them similar to a hallway. This hallway opening led to the door of an Earth spacecraft, which now held the silhouette of a man walking toward the elderly professor.

They were here. The government had finally come to the A.R.K. And boy, did they want their intimidation to be clear. There had to be 500 soldiers, at least, crowding the Docking Bays. It was quite intimidating, but curiously, none of the scientist and researchers were especially scared or uncomfortable. They had already been through so much: the Biolizard, the Gizoid, and more importantly, Black Doom and the Black Arms. Their fallen colleagues hadn't been fortunate enough to survive it all, but they were. Their lives were constantly in danger of threats they could barely understand.

So this group of regular men with regular guns, in comparison... were underwhelming. Unconsciously, the space-fairing men and women of science were relieved by this display of power the self-absorbed humans were so proud of. Gerald worked hard to hold back a chuckle thinking about how quickly Black Doom would humble these men.

But in the midst of his darkly humorous thought, a voice echoed through the Docking Bays. "Nice place ya got here, Professor Robotnik..." the deep, comfortably baritone voice said. The silhouette walked into the bright lights of the hangar and the image of the man was clear. He was a general, or a major, someone of high rank seeing as he had all those bricks of color on his sewed on the chest of his navy blue-gray jacket. His white gloved hands adjusted the black brim of his military cap, the golden stars and stripes on it sparkled slightly as the cap moved. His golden tasseled shoulders were modestly broad, the arms of his jacket were a tad tighter than they should have been, showing a hint of his physical strength hidden under the formal robes.

"Thank you for noticing. We rather like it too, Mister..." suggestively said the bald scientist. The military man's black shoes clacked lowly as he walked up to Gerald, the white and red stripes on his pants legs were more noticeable to Gerald now that he was a bit closer.

"General, actually... General Thompson. Nice to meet you, Professor, I've heard great things" the kind general spoke, lifting his hand to shake Gerald's. Gerald smiled, pleasantly surprised by the General's attitude, and gingerly grabbed the man's hand.

"It's nice to meet you too, General. I'm glad I don't disappoint" the bald old man said happily while they shook hands. The General smiled while maintaining eye contact with Gerald, his caucasian skin wrinkled gently as he smiled, his eyebrows were light brown matching his eyes. The General had to have been 10 or 15 years younger than Gerald, not so young he could be seen as insolent and not so old to be haughty or needlessly abrasive.

"Well, since we made the trip, would it be alright if we got a tour before the business aspect of the trip? Preferably of the Mess Hall? It's been a rather long trip and the boys are just about ready to disappear!" the General half-joked before he laughed heartily, causing Gerald to laugh as well. The little tension in the corridor collapsed when the other scientists laughed under their breath as well.

"Of course, of course, we'll be happy to show you to the food court and anything else you might want to see, this way gentlemen!" Gerald called out to the soldiers standing at attention. As soon as they looked to the General to make sure they were allowed to move, he gave a friendly nod and the soldiers quickly followed after Gerald and the A.R.K. scientist, clearly eager to get some real food.

With some quick movements, the researchers and the soldiers made their way to the dining quarters, while on the way, getting to know each other in a comfortable, natural way. As soon as the group got to the dining quarters, the soldiers attacked the food heartily, like dogs fighting for t-bone steaks. It was quite a hilarious display. Gerald and the General spoke to each other during this impromptu lunch, talking about what else the A.R.K. had in it, how it worked, family, anything that came to mind really.

This was turning out to be a lot more amicable and peaceful than the A.R.K. residents were used to. It was quite refreshing to not have their lives in danger for once. Maria too was very happy things were so lively and peaceful. Her grandfather had never smiled so much when he was around other adults, it was uplifting to see him so happy...

After lunch the tour group moved all across the A.R.K., seeing everything that the General would want to see (except for the massive, planetary-destructive Eclipse Cannon and the small fetus in a secluded incubating chamber, i.e. Project Shadow). And he wanted to see basically everything; Maria was reminded of how she felt when she went exploring just a few months ago. It was very different doing this adventuring with others, it was better. She felt awfully lonely wandering around the space colony with no one else.

But this lively group learning and gazing in wonder at these advanced things they were a bit ignorant to were fantastic to be around. The soldiers weren't bad or rude at all, Maria remarked mentally, they were nice and funny. There was nothing she could find wrong with them. And they loved her, she was her usual sweet self and they just adored her. After explaining that her disease was not contagious to adults, they fawned all over the golden haired girl. While she didn't think she deserved the attention, she humbly basked in it.

Finally, it came time for the General and his troops to handle the business their government ordered them to: checking on the progress of Project Shadow and the entire A.R.K.'s projects and research. With the good mood permeating the air, the scientist were more than happy to present there inventions and innovations. First came the medical researchers Heal Unit, which was surprisingly not a great hit among the soldiers. The scientist tried to explain just how great it was, but the boys weren't impressed.

So the presentation went into another direction, a more weapons demonstration direction. This grabbed the soldiers' attention and immediately they were ooh-ing and aah-ing at the destructive toys.

"Typical" Gerald thought as they gave the weapons to the soldiers and showed them how they worked. "Perhaps if the Heal Unit was something you could shoot out of a gun, they'd be more appreciative of it," Gerald froze on the spot. That wasn't a bad idea actually. That wasn't bad at all. He took out a piece of paper from his white lab coat and a pen from his pants pocket, and scribbled a reminder on the paper.

After several more hours of presenting invention and innovation, one after the other, the General looked pretty satisfied. He wasn't sure if he would have to arrest Gerald or move the massive amount of people off of the A.R.K. had their work load not been up to par with the government's orders, but they just managed to skirt the approximate minimum requirements. So with another firm handshake, the General smiled at Gerald.

"Professor Robotnik, you have so much to be proud of here. You and your team are doing an excellent job. As far as I'm concerned, this was an unnecessary trip, you guys know what you're doing way out here! And I'd be happy to tell the higher ups just that to give you some peace of mind while you're working out here" Hearing these words visibly lifted a massive weight from Gerald. Finally, without leering eyes and impatient calls from home, finally, he could work in peace. All of this stress put on from outside forces was gone.

It was almost over. They were free. Maria... would be free...

"THAT IS... AS SOON AS YOU SHOW ME PROJECT SHADOW"

Pressure increased on Gerald's frail hand before the words slammed the stress and weight back on top of his old body. The General wasn't smiling anymore. He was staring, almost coldly, from under the brim of his military cap. The soldiers also had taken a step back and raised their weapons just a little higher, letting the scientists know that they were ready to fire as soon as the order was given.

The white mustache professor opened his mouth to speak, but the hammering of his heart in his chest and his brain in his skull kept him from forming words. The General let go of his hand and sighed disappointingly.

"Professor... this is upsetting... this would have been a nice civil visit, I would have went home with a good report. No one would have gotten hurt or arrested. The A.R.K. wouldn't have been shut down and abandoned. None of those nasty things would have happened..." the General reached for his side arm, the bald elder in front of him gasped a bit before moving back a step.

"If you would have just shown me what's up with Project Shadow... Now I still want that nice, civil visit, I really do... but my orders were to see progress on everything... especially Project Shadow" the stoic General spoke with authority as he took out his military issued hand gun and held it at his side.

"So I need you to tell me right now... if we're going to have a civil visit... or if things are going to get nasty?" The General looked at Maria when he finished his question, the girl instinctively flinching when he did. Gerald caught this and his options were clear. Whatever it took to keep her safe, that's what he would do.

"Oh silly me, I forgot to mention Project Shadow... I was saving it for last, you see... Thank you for reminding me General" the scientist spoke playfully, hoping to ease some of the tension with his charade. With the silence that hung in the air after his sentence, it didn't seem like it worked. But the General ordered his men to stay with the scientists and he motioned for Gerald to lead him to Project Shadow.

"Right this way, General" was all Gerald said before walking further into the mass of laboratories and workstations in the Project Shadow sector of the A.R.K. A tense silence hung between the two elderly men for the few minutes it took to get to their destination. After typing in a code on the security panel, the metal doors hissed open, revealing an... interesting sight.

The tinted light was the first thing the General noticed, how could he not? It was a weird, alien green, clashing with the muted steel grey and the desaturated olives and powder blues that the rest of the A.R.K. was plastered with. This neon bright lime light was a darn near assault on the military man's eyes. Unbeknownst to him, he had raised his hand to shade his eyes from the brunt of the bright light.

As he walked forward into the room, he looked through the slits in between his fingers to attempt to see anything. And that's when he saw a small, black ball. Floating in a tube of luminescent green liquid, was a simple black ball. Was that... it? The General turned to look at the rest of the room to see if this was the only thing in the room. And other than a couple computers and several tubes and wires sticking out of the ceiling and walls, the black tube was indeed all that was in the room.

"This is Project Shadow, General..." a serious voice grabbed the wondering soldier's attention. The professor was standing a couple of inches away from the bright cylinder holding the strange round object.

"And what, pray tell, is 'this', exactly?" the confused man squinted from behind his gloved fingers.

"This is a growing being that will, as far as I've been able to hypothesize, be immortal" the professor explained without taking his eyes off of the black ball incubating. "Once it has formed completely, it will not age, it will not get sick, and it will be sentient. This General, is the result of all the hardship, all the adversity and all the tragedy that all of us have had to go through since we've been out here..." Gerald put his hand on the glass of the cylinder.

"This... is Project Shadow..."

"This is all you have to show for years of being in this Space Colony?" The General spoke bluntly. A heat rose in Gerald's gut at how judgmental the General sounded. He turned to the gruff military man, his mustache flaring up slightly as he scowled at him a little.

"Do you have any idea how many people died, good people, to get this project to where it is right now? Do you?" Gerald gritted through his teeth.

"And who's fault is it that all those good people died? It couldn't have been my fault, so don't try to point a finger at me, Professor" the younger man said, raising his other hand to point at Gerald.

"It wasn't my fault, unforeseen, no, impossible things happened since the beginning of this project. Obstacles that unfortunately, some of my colleagues didn't make it through..." a distant look flashed across the bald scientist's visage when he said this. The many faces of those who had lost their lives aboard the arc scrolled through Gerald's mind. They would always surface once every blue moon in Gerald's memory, but this time, the sting of guilt was especially sharp.

"Well, that's sad and all, but that's not why I was sent here" the General, now more used to the light, lowered his hand from the brim of his hat and walked closer to the dramatic researcher.

"My orders were to check on your progress out here and determine if your success outweighs your attempts to ignore your benefactors. Who, I might add, have been more than patient with you until this point," the General's voice was getting more harsh than Gerald expected. He was not pleased with these turn of events.

"So since you've been gone for 7 years, let me educate you on the stance our government has taken on the A.R.K.: You've been here too long with no results. The money, the time, and the effort our country has spent on you and this floating ball, has been wasted. They told me that I am your last chance. If I can't find something worth letting you stay here, you and all your friends are coming back to Earth with me and punishments will be enforced without prejudice" Gerald was backing away slowly now, getting closer to the stasis container the black ball was in.

"And the worst part of it is they were counting on your team and your research to help the country- no, the world! And all you have to show for it, is a bunch of nicknacks and this?!" a rough gesture had the General's hand pointing toward Project Shadow. Gerald fixed his lips to say something in response but the General continued his rant.

"They told me you were a screwball, but come on, man! 7 years and all you have is a black ball in a jar! What have you been doing up here this whole time, that makes you think that this is acceptable-"

"I'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE!" Gerald blurted out loud enough to make his voice reverberate off the metal plated walls. The General jumped in surprise at his outburst, so Gerald took this advantage to push back.

"Do you even know how many people are dead because of this stupid project?! Do you have the slightest idea how hard we have worked, how little rest we have gotten, how far we have pushed our sanity and our resources, just to see what we create spontaneously combust in our faces and take our friends away?!" the skinny old man was throwing his emotional weight around as he took bold steps toward the General, causing him to back up just as Gerald did mere moments ago.

"How about I educated YOU on something, General?! You see this?!" shouted the man of science as he approached a computer and roughly turned the screen in the military man's direction. The images on the screen were that of the Biolizard... and it's destructive capabilities.

"THIS is the result of the government's precious quest for immortality! THIS is what happens when men try to tread where only God can! THIS is what happens when I try my best to comply to my 'gracious' benefactors back home! A gigantic, horrendous monster is the closest we have gotten to the Ultimate Lifeform, before the 'little black ball' growing in that tank!" The General, visibly disgusted and horrified at the images of the Biolizard, stayed uncomfortably silent. Gerald ran his hand across his head, taking a moment to regain his composure. He never liked talking about that nightmarish creature, brought back too many negative feelings. The professor slowly walked away from the computer, toward the container again, noticeably more calm.

"I know... that this might not seem like much... but this, right here, is exactly what the government asked for. That monster was a weapon, but it was dangerous to itself and others, and it was mindless. This isn't mindless. What's more... it will be even more powerful than that beast..." the bald scientist said confidently as he placed his hand on the glass without reflexively.

"More powerful..? How?" the General inquired, finding his voice again.

"It... has a biological advantage... But it's not ready yet..." Gerald spoke, after pausing for a moment. Black Doom and his massive power present in the front of his mind. But he couldn't mention the dark lord to the simple General. That was on a need to know basis. A military man could understand that.

"... Then what is it I'm supposed to do, Professor Robotnik? The government ordered- demanded that I bring their weapon back with me... If I don't..." the military officer stopped, knowing Gerald understood the rest of his sentence already. And Gerald did know.

If the General didn't bring something back to show to the government, they would cut the A.R.K. projects indefinitely and the researchers and scientists would be arrested as soon as they stepped on Earth's familiar soil.

Meaning, Maria... would never be cured... She would die... all because of the government's impatience. The grandfather thought hard in that moment, he searched his mind for an out; a lifeline, some sort of way to stave off the hounds that were the government. He just needed a chunk of beef jerky that he could distract the dogs with, so he could finish the massive steak that would ultimately save him from being mauled by them.

What was his beef jerky? What could he sacrifice for just a little more time to finish up Project Shadow? Gerald thought as hard as he possibly could, the veins in his head nearly bursting from the pressure. The General, still standing in silence, figured that Professor Robotnik had nothing else to offer. The man sighed deeply, disappointment and regret on his countenance, as he adjusted his cap and moved to walk out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Professor Robotnik... it looks like this is the end for the Space Colony A.R.K." he solemnly said as he pushed a button on the wall and the door lifted revealing the rooms connected to Project Shadow's room. But just as the General took a step to leave the room, he let out a slight yelp. And when the professor turned to see what caused that reaction, he froze.

The light bulb went off. Professor Gerald Robotnik's beef jerky was right there waiting for him.

It was the Gizoid. The government wanted an immortal, artificial-living weapon? That was the Gizoid to a T. Without a second thought, Gerald ran to the General, a grin stretched its way on his face.

"Don't be startled by little old Gizoid, General! It's not a threat. On the contrary, it's our protector!" Gerald boasted. The Gizoid look between the two of them, almost like it was confused. The General slowly calmed down, drinking in Gerald's words.

"What do you mean by, 'protector'?" the General asked, a little interested.

"I mean, it is the answer to my dilemma, it is your take home prize from the A.R.K. Give it to the higher ups, tell them to do what they want with it" Gerald offered, a lighter tone was noticeable in his demeanor and the conversation as a whole.

"This... robot? I- I don't know if this will be acceptable either-" unsurely said the General before Gerald slightly cut him off.

"Did you happen to notice the size of those asteroids floating around in space?" Gerald asked coyly.

"Yes, they're pretty big. What's your point?" asked the slightly annoyed General.

"The Gizoid can go outside of the A.R.K., right now, and crush those city-large asteroids into pebbles. It's done it hundreds of times" Gerald said looking down at the Gizoid, the General following suit with a more skeptical look.

"I don't know, Professor, I'd have to see that to believe it..."

Gerald's grin got even wider. He slung his arm around the General's shoulders before walking them both out of the room, the Gizoid following behind them.

"I was hoping you'd say that..."

* * *

Heya! Just got a foothold on this site and made an account on ArchiveOfOurOwn! I'm all caught up on here, but I just started on AO3. So if you know someone that has an account on either of these, point them this way! Kaythanksbye XDDDD

Nah, I'll say a few other things, uh, the big idea with this first part was: how to get rid of Black Doom long enough to make the visit with the military General the center of this story? Answer: have him realize he's kind of smothering (more like choking the life out of) the A.R.K. researchers. His absence will get him closer to his desire faster. Also, yeah, I needed him to find out about the Eclipse Cannon, specifically because in Shadow's game, he already knows about it when he is introduced in the game. So that would have been another plot hole for that game. XDDD (Note: 1,176 hours = 49 days = 7 weeks. I know how to math XDDDD)

For the second part, the General is actually a good guy. He's not "the next villain" for Gerald and Maria to overcome or escape from. He actually wants to be on good terms with the A.R.K. and him getting angry in the room is for a very legitimate reason. To be revealed in Part 11. w


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